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.
- Free Plan
Battleship Coordinate Plane Game
Use this coordinate plane game to practice plotting ordered pairs on the coordinate grid.
- Free Plan
Finish the Drawing - Worksheets
Get creative and finish the drawings with a set of five art worksheets.
- 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
Oink, Meow, Moo Icebreaker Game
Break the ice with your students on Day 1 with this silly movement game.
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Team Building Games – Upper Grades
Encourage communication and cooperation with this set of 10 team-building games.
- Free Plan
Finish the Picture - Drawing Worksheets
Spark creativity in the classroom with a pack of Finish the Drawing worksheets.
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Mini-Mysteries – Interactive PowerPoint
A set of 10 interactive, logic-based activities where students read clues to solve each mystery.
- Free Plan
Snakes and Ladders Game Board Template
Create a fun activity for any subject area with this black-and-white board game template.
- Free Plan
Species Survival! Science Coloring Pages
Explore the importance of environmental conservation with a set of three inspirational quotes colouring pages.
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Comical Chronicle 3rd Grade Part of Speech Worksheets
Get your 3rd graders excited about parts of speech with this worksheet filled with 10 ad-lib style stories.
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Comical Chronicle Worksheets for 2nd Graders
Practice different parts of speech with your 2nd graders using this set of 10 ad-lib style stories.
- Free Plan
Mini-Mystery – Who Stole the Cookie?
A fun, logic puzzle activity where students read clues to solve a mystery.
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Color Me Carefully – Geometric Animals
Hone in on your students' speaking and listening skills with this barrier activity.
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Chicken Evolution Active Game
A whole class active game that encourages cognitive processing skills, physical activity, and social skills.
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Zip Zap Zoom! Active Game
A whole class active game that encourages concentration and listening skills.
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Drama Game Task Cards
A set of 17 activity cards with instructions for drama games.
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Funny Icebreaker Jokes - Task Cards
Start each day with funny icebreaker jokes with a set of printable Back to School Joke cards for kids.
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Cooperation Puzzles - Team-Building Activity
Explore the benefits of cooperation with a tangram-style team-building activity.
- Free Plan
Think Like Scientists! Science Quote Coloring Pages
Inspire creativity and encourage your students to think like scientists with a set of inspirational science quote coloring pages.
- Free Plan
Picture Puzzles - Team Building Activities
A set of 10 picture puzzles to use as a team-building activity.
- Plus Plan
Basketball Memory Game
Discover the game of basketball and boost vocabulary skills with a fun basketball-themed Memory game.
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"Simon Says" Commands - Card Deck
A set of 24 instruction cards to use when playing "Simon Says."
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Sloth Mindfulness Coloring Pages
Use these sloth-themed coloring pages to bring a bit of creative calm into the classroom.
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100th Day of School Coloring Page Pack
Use a 100th Day of School Coloring sheet to celebrate completing the first 100 days of school!
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The Lost Library Card – Whole Class Escape Game
Use inference and problem-solving skills to decipher the puzzles and uncover the hidden code.
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Comical Chronicle Worksheets for 5th Grade
Practice different parts of speech with your 5th graders using this set of 10 ad-lib style stories.
- Plus Plan
Brain Break Activities with Instructions
Signs and posters with games to play with your class when they need a quick brain break!
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The Bean Game
A fun active game to play at any time.
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Origami Penguin Step-By-Step Instructions
Visual instruction page to use when creating an origami penguin.
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Stretchy Scoot Relay
A whole class game to play when learning about the properties of materials.
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Winter Puzzles Activity Book
Bring learning and seasonal fun together with this winter puzzles activity book to keep students engaged during the colder months.
- Plus Plan
Mindful Cat Coloring Sheets
Bring a sense of calm to your classroom with these delightful cat coloring sheets, “purr–fect” for mindfulness and creativity.