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Let me just lay it out there – indoor recess is not for wimps! I remember my first year teacher and my first indoor recess. That is a day I don’t ever want to repeat. From that day forward I vowed to be prepared for indoor recess!
Today I want to share my best tips and tricks for indoor recess.
Coordinated Movement in the Classroom
Kids need to move and trying to keep that from happening just doesn’t work so well. So instead, let them move. I’ve learned that just like any other activity in the classroom, it is important to teach your students the procedures for moving in the classroom.
I like to assign a space in the classroom for each student. Their own little bubble of space that they can move and participate in our indoor activities. The space stays the same all year long. When I say “go to your movement spots” the kids know just what to do.
Some of our other procedures include now running (unless the activity calls for running in place), no yelling, and no touching others unless required by the activity. With these procedures and guidelines in place we set out of some coordinated movement for indoor recess.
Here’s some of my favorite indoor recess movement activities:
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Go Noodle!
If you have not tried Go Noodle you must! It is an online app for schools and teachers designed with the purpose of helping students move more. They have tons of FREE movement activities and brain breaks that are perfect for students of all ages. Some activities are connected with academic concepts and some are just for fun. But all have one common goal – helping kids move more. It’s an indoor recess must!
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Yoga for Kids
Sometimes an active movement activity is not what you need. Movement doesn’t have to be loud, upbeat and fast. In fact, slower movement requires more control. Enter Yoga for kids and you’ve got another great indoor recess activity! One of my favorite is Cosmic Kids Yoga whose videos I found on You Tube. These yoga videos follow a story line and guide the students through stretching and focusing on how their bodies move. It’s a great activity for releasing some energy and being ready to focus on what follows.
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Pop Up and Practice
These movement based review activities were designed with primary students in mind. Students will be divided into 2 groups for this activity. While one group reviews the skill, the other group is doing the provided movement activity – then they switch. My students beg to do these activities and they are a perfect way to incorporate movement throughout the day. You can find Pop Up and Practice activities for a variety of skills.
Find more about movement in the classroom in this post 5 Easy Ways to Add Movement to the Classroom.
Extra Center Rotations
It’s no secret that my students love doing centers. You’d never expect to hear cheers after telling your class that they don’t get to go outside. But when I follow that announcement up with “today we are doing extra centers” the cheers can be heard down the hallway. What a win that is. Students are engaged and learning and they love it.
I don’t do extra centers every day for indoor recess because students need to move. But if I coordinate lots of mini movement activities throughout the day, extra centers can be a great indoor recess activity.
Special Art Activity
Sometimes it is really nice to have the extra time in the classroom. I love doing art and craft activities with my students, and these extra pockets of time help to do that. We often do a craft that connects to a writing we are doing. Not only do the students love displaying them with their writing, but they are super cute too!
Sometimes we add in a special art activity just because. Maybe we learn to draw using directed drawings, or maybe we pull out the watercolors and paint a picture. Since I am NOT an artist, I go to my favorite source for help – the internet! There are a lot of wonderful how to videos on You Tube. Just make sure to watch them in advance to make sure they are appropriate for your class. Whatever it is, these special activities take a little more time – time that we can get when the weather is not cooperating.
Find out more about some fun art activities I do in How I Taught My Students to Love Writing. There’s also some FREE craft activities in the Free Resource Library. If you are not a member yet, just sign-up here (it’s free) to get your password for the freebie vault.
Look for Indoor Spaces
Sometimes kids just need to run and play. I have found that this is often the case after a few days of indoor recess in a row. When we get to that point, I look to the school gym and cafeteria. These spaces are often empty for periods of time throughout the day. It may take a little change to the normal class schedule, but getting some indoor running and playing time when the PE teacher has a planning period is a great alternative too.
No big spaces available – do some silent movement! Play a game of Silent Simon Says in the hallway or a game of Silent Follow the Leader through the school. The students love the challenge of keeping it silent!
Indoor Recess Can Be Fun!
Next time indoor recess looms over you – no worries! You’ve got this. Be prepared, have a plan, and enjoy the change of pace with your students.