Every year, teachers in Canada are faced with several days in a row where the weather outside is not safe for students to go outside and play. These indoor recesses can be a nightmare at the best of times because no student wants to stay inside every recess in a row during a cold snap. Even worse, throw in a pandemic where students are expected to stay socially distanced and not share supplies and it makes managing indoor recess activities a full time job. We’ve collected these must try socially distanced activities for indoor recess to ease that job.
We try to let our students have a less structured recess break where they choose their own activities and aren’t micromanaged. This might not be possible depending on the situation at your school, but keep in mind that recess should be a break instead of another scheduled block of time. Come see which of these activities will work for your students.
Quiet Indoor Recess Activities for Individuals
Your classroom introverts will likely need a little down time, so having some quiet and individual indoor recess activities are important to help these students recharge during their recess breaks.
Curling up with a good book is every book worm’s dream. Spice up the reading shelf with some must reads. We include comics, graphic novels, best sellers and some of the most popular classroom books on the shelf so that students read them whenever possible.
Your classroom artists love to draw. If possible add some special drawing paper or art supplies that can be used by one student each day. Keep track so you can quarantine and wipe down the supplies in between students.
Our students love logic puzzles. In fact, we have written so many puzzles simply because our students keep asking for them. You can find our logic puzzles in our store. They come in paper and Google Slides versions so you can use them for any situation. Keep a collection of these puzzles on hand for any time of the day.
You will probably have some writers who just want some private time to write a story or craft their masterpiece. Allow students to write with a fancy pen or on special paper. Some of our students have loved writing in a notebook that is just for their own writing or journaling. Encourage them to share their writing with you if they wish.
Use Drama Games as Indoor Recess Activities
We have been collecting ideas for simple drama games that students can play in their own space without too much equipment and without having to be in the same space as another students. Some of these activities can be done with small groups, large groups or individuals depending on your needs.
Two or more students imitate the actions of each other by pretending they’re looking into a mirror. Make it more challenging by not speaking and just trying to mirror the movements of the other person. Students can sit facing each other as far apart as needed.
One player chooses an emotion and acts it out on their face. This only works if you do not have to wear masks in the classroom. Other players try to guess the word for the emotion. Encourage your students to go beyond happy and sad and use more interesting vocabulary.
A simple game of charades can be an easy way to have students play a guessing game and take a brain break. Make a list of possibilities to act out during one break and play during the next. Students can take turns or play their own versions of the game.
Create a Character
Using a piece of chart paper and one student recorder, students can contribute to make up an interesting character that could be used in stories. They can include personality traits, physical appearance suggestions, a name and some history about the character’s life. This can be a human, animal, alien or anything in between.
Each group can create a different character. Eventually students can write a story using the characters.
There are lots of scripts that can be found online. For your performer types, offer them a chance to perform a Readers’ Theatre play on their own. Let them decide the roles (or maybe even the play if you have extras you don’t plan to use in your lessons), figure out how to practice and then perform it for the class.
Create the Dialogue
Play a video without the sound where two or more characters are speaking or doing different things. Create the dialogue and speak over the video. This might require some practice. We choose about thirty seconds of a video and let students watch it over and over practicing their lines before they perform it for the class.
Create the Soundtrack
Similar to the dialogue activity above, have students create the soundtrack for a silent video. This might include footsteps, doors or crunching sounds. Students should explore different sounds to tell the story of what is happening on the screen.
Physical Activities At Your Desk are Perfect Indoor Recess Activities
Some of your students will need recess to break up their movement for the day. This is a good time to get the wiggles out, especially since there seems to be a lot more sitting and working independently in class these days. Movement is one of the most needed indoor recess activities.
We wrote an entire post about physical activities that can be done without much equipment and being socially distanced. You can read it here.
There are many online yoga classes that can be done without having to move around too much. The name of this activity does not imply that students need to balanced on their chair the whole time. It simply means doing yoga in the same place.
Popcorn at Your Desk
We like to play games where students move around. That includes just sitting and standing to answer questions. Students stand for one choice or sit for the other.
We have made a simple Sit Stand Math Game that uses Google Slides. It is available in our Resource Library or we can send you the link in a PDF to download your own copy when you sign up for our email list. Having your own copy will allow you to edit the cards to better suit the needs of your students. The slides are editable so you can tailor the math questions for your class.
This can be a fun, high energy game, but it is also noisy. It will need a strong, musical student which can usually be found somewhere in your group of scholars.
Start by teaching your students a simple rhythm. For example, ti-ti ti-ti ta ta. If you don’t know what that means, ask your school’s music teacher. We use the words: This one is the wrong one. This will match the rhythm. Students will say the words as they drum the rhythm on their desks. Ask students to echo you. So, you do the pattern and then students repeat it.
Students can drum with their hands or items that can take the banging. Sometimes we use tubs with lids or heavy books to get a few different sounds. Students also use markers as drumsticks. We encourage students to try to make their drumming sound different than others, but in time with everyone.
When your class can accurately drum the rhythm by parroting it back from the leader, it’s time to play the game.
The goal of the game is not to play the wrong rhythm. The class is trying to beat the leader. The leader will get a point if anyone in the class plays the wrong rhythm, but the class will get a point is no one plays the wrong rhythm, back.
First the leader plays another rhythm and the class plays it back. The leader will continue playing any rhythm while the class echoes. Eventually, the leader will play the wrong rhythm and then watch to see if anyone repeats it. Score the points and then keep playing.
Your students might reprimand the person who plays incorrectly, so instead of this, ask your students to come up with a symbol or someone to watch because they are usually right. Limit or stop all talking so students have to do more listening.
Make it more challenging by trying a different wrong rhythm, speeding up the game or changing out the leader.
Choreographed Desk Dance
Have your students create a choreographed dance where every student participates by dancing at their spot. Students should not need to move. This can be to music or just for fun. Keep a list of the dance moves (which your students can give fun names to) and then practice your dance during the breaks. The dance can be led by a teacher, but might be more meaningful if your students are in charge of the whole thing (with a little supervision).
If you complete the dance, record it so you can share with with other classes or families.
Class Challenges or Small Group Games for Indoor Recesses
When the whole class is in on the challenge, a game can be a great way to break up the day.
One of the best ways we have started doing challenges is using digital breakout or escape room styled games. Our students love them. In fact, they were the inspiration for creating one specifically for them.
We called it the Indoor Recess Escape. It’s a six puzzle digital escape room. Each slide is a puzzle which provides one code. When students have all six codes, they can unlock the puzzle and escape indoor recess. No special skills are needed to attempt the puzzles and if they don’t get it solved (which they won’t in fifteen to thirty minutes, they can keep their place if they use their own copy).
Grab your own copy of the Digital Indoor Recess Escape that uses Google Slides.
We bought several of these game books that were used by groups of students during indoor recesses. One student would lead the activity and take word suggestions from their group, read the story (have a good laugh) and then a new student would take over.
You can usually find copies of these books in any book store and they are lots of fun.
This game from the Blackfoot People is lots of fun and requires math and physical skill.
Students will need a set of bones to play the Bone Game. This can be five tongue depressors or popsicle sticks. Traditionally this game was played with carved buffalo rib bones. One side of the bone is blank and the other side is decorated. Get your own copy of the instructions to make and play the game in our Resource Library or we can send a copy to your inbox when you sign up for our email list.
Students will take turns throwing the bones onto the floor in front of where they stand. The points are totaled. The first person to get to twenty wins the game. During the pandemic, each student made and used their own set of bones so they didn’t have to share or wash them in between rounds.
Rock, Paper Scissors Tournament
Teach your students how to make a simple bracket for a round where students will compete in Rock, Paper, Scissors. We play that students place their fist on the palm and count: one, two, three, PLAY. On play students reveal their choice. If there is any debate about timing, the round goes again.
Students play each other in a best of three set of games. The winner’s name goes on the bracket. Play continues until there is a winner.
Students do not have to play this game without leaving their desks. They can play from across the room, so it makes for a very socially distanced game.
Indoor recesses can be difficult even at the best of times. We recommend adding a new activity every once and a while instead of offering all the choices at once. This will stretch things out a bit, especially in January when you can have a two week stretch of indoor recess. Plus, students love the novelty of a new game or activity.
What are some other activities you do with your students during indoor recesses? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear your ideas.