Indoor Recess Activities Teaching Resources
Do you need indoor recess ideas to take the stress out of those days when rain or snow keep the kids indoors at playtime? This teacher-created collection of activities, games and more is ready to save the (rainy) day!
From movement games that give students a way to get their wiggles out in small indoor spaces to coloring pages, drawing challenges and partner activities, there's something for every grade level in elementary and middle school and an option to fit every kind of student!
And we didn't stop there! Read on for some indoor recess ideas from our teacher team!
Our Favorite Indoor Recess Ideas for Teachers
The wind is howling. The rain is falling. And you have a bunch of kids who are bouncing of the walls. What do you do when you've got recess duty, and the kids are stuck indoors?
Explore this collection of activities, and peruse this list from our teacher team, of course!
- Create a Board Game Center — Ask classroom parents, friends and neighbors if they have extra board games that they no longer use to build a board game center in your classroom where students can turn on thosedays when it's too cold or wet to go out for recess. The advantage of filling your center with used board games is that you lose a lot less when pieces go missing! One member of our teacher team suggests putting all game pieces in large zipper plastic bags so when board game boxes start to fall apart it's easier to keep all those small pieces together.
- Build a Coloring Station — Print out coloring pages, add some crayons, and you have a quiet space for the kids who like to spend their recess quietly reflecting. Did we mention coloring is meditative for many kids?
- Create a Tournament — Are you a chess or checkers player? If the weather indicates that recess will be indoors for a while, why not teach your students to play and issue a tournament challenge to pass the time day after day?
- Turn to YouTube — Find a favorite (educational) show on YouTube that students can watch together. There are some great science-based shows that even we enjoy watching as teachers!
- Play Trash-Ket Ball. Have students ball up pieces of paper for a trivia game of trash-ket ball. Check our site for trivia questions you can use, or create your own. Each time a student answers a trivia question correctly, they get to attempt to make a basket in your classroom trash can.
- Create a Giant Rock, Paper, Scissors Game. Set students up in a circle, and select one student to go around the circle and play each student. When they lose, they take the seat of whoever beat them. that person continues playing around the circle until they lose. The first person back to their seat wins the game.
- Create a Class Drum Circle. Want to incorporate some movement into the day? Aside from the movement games in this collection, we suggest a class drum circle using their desks!
- Make Indoor Recess Bags. There's something extra exciting about bringing a toy from home, so why not lean into that excitement for indoor recess? Send parents a note asking them to create small plastic zipper bags with (quiet) toys that students are allowed to bring to school and store in their desk or cubbies to play with on indoor recess days.
- Set Up STEM Stations. Give your students a chance to stretch their STEM muscles with engineering challenges on the days they can't head to the playground.
- Indoor Snowball Fight. Throwing things in the classroom will never not excite kids. Roll up socks or pieces of paper for a simple snowball fight that won't make (too much of) a mess.
- Plus Plan
Memory Matcher Interactive Game (International Foods Theme)
An interactive match-up activity exploring foods of different cultures.
- Free Plan
Famous Artists Card Game for Kids
A set of 54 famous artist cards to be used for a variety of card games.
- Plus Plan
New Year Charades
Get your students up and moving with a fun game of New Year Charades!
- Plus Plan
Around in Circles Active Game
An active game to use when reviewing any type of content with your students.
- Plus Plan
Coin Toss Active Game
An active, whole group game to play when learning coin recognition and counting money.
- Plus Plan
Hopping Through Hoops Active Game
An active game that allows students to review vocabulary words for any content area.
- Plus Plan
Hidden Picture Puzzle Activity Worksheet
An activity worksheet paired with a poster where students search and find objects and characters.
- Plus Plan
Dinosaur Mazes
A set of 6 fun mazes with a dinosaur theme.
- Plus Plan
Pirate's Treasure – Maze Quest
A fun, pirate-themed maze for students to complete.
- Free Plan
Rainforest Maze
A fun, rainforest-themed maze for students to complete.
- Plus Plan
Technology Maze
A fun, technology-themed maze for students to complete.
- Plus Plan
Rhino Mindful Coloring Sheet
A rhino mindful coloring sheet.
- Plus Plan
Orangutan Coloring Sheet
A cute picture of a orangutan for students to color.
- Plus Plan
Brain Break Activities with Instructions
Signs and posters with games to play with your class when they need a quick brain break!
- Plus Plan
Brain Break Activity Cards
Give your students a quick brain break with this set of 19 whole-class games.
- Plus Plan
If You're Something and You Know It Active Game
A whole class active game that encourages observation skills, focus, and creativity.
- Plus Plan
Yes Let's! Active Game
A whole class active game encourages the development of listening skills, confidence, and leadership.
- Plus Plan
The Team Freeze Frame Active Game
A fun active game that encourages the development of listening skills, creativity, spontaneity, and teamwork.
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Snake Sheds Its Skin Active Game
Take a quick break from learning and encourage teamwork with this fun whole class game.
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Shazzam! Active Game
A whole class active game that encourages teamwork.
- Plus Plan
Mirror, Mirror Active Game
A fun active game that can be played by the whole class in pairs.
- Plus Plan
Human Knot Active Game
A fun active game for small groups that encourages teamwork.
- Plus Plan
Fruit Salad Active Game
A whole class or large group active game that encourages listening skills.
- Plus Plan
Follow the Leader Active Game
A whole class active game that encourages the development of leadership, teamwork, movement, and coordination.
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Capture the Treasure Active Game
A whole class game that encourages focus and creativity.
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What Are You Doing? Active Game
A whole class active game that encourages communication skills.
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Traffic Lights Active Game
A whole class active game that encourages students to develop their listening skills and to follow instructions.
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Book Hunt Image and Task Cards
Take your students on a book hunt with this poster and set of task cards.
- Plus Plan
Pirate Ship Model Building Activity and Ship Template
Make indoor recess fun with a pirate ship model building activity and pirate history project idea.
- Plus Plan
Underwater Escape! - Maze
A fun marine themed maze for students to complete when learning about oceans.
- Plus Plan
Marvin Measurement's Treasure Box - Whole Class Game
A whole class game that consolidates your students' knowledge of measurement concepts - in a fun way!
- Plus Plan
Would You Rather...? Question Cards
Would You Rather use this set of 31 question cards or eat a can of worms?