6 Steps to a Positive Atmosphere for Elementary Indoor Recess
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Part 2 in the Indoor Recess Series
Indoor recess— it’s often a love-hate term in elementary classrooms! Kids love it, and teachers…well, you get the picture. The good news is that indoor recess really doesn’t have to cause enormous stress for you! Use these 6 steps to create a positive atmosphere for indoor recess in your elementary classroom this year:
- Establish Clear Rules
- Set Up Stations
- Use Brain-building Toys
- Rotate Toys
- Join in the Fun
- Celebrate Achievements
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Create a Positive Atmosphere for Elementary Indoor Recess
First thing first– you’ve got to set the stage with your students. You already know kids do so much better when you’ve prepared them for new or infrequent situations. Indoor recess is no different!
Be intentional about your words and actions when realizing it’s raining outside. It’s easy to feel disappointed and express this emotion outloud, but this really will only do more harm that good. Model a positive outlook and confidently implement these 6 steps for a surprisingly smooth elementary indoor recess day!
1. Establish Clear Rules
Kids thrive when they know what to expect. When you spend time establishing clear rules, it will be helpful for classroom management and keeping volume levels down. Social skills stories and activities are the perfect solution to help you achieve this goal!
Use Social Skills Stories
If you already incorporate social skills stories into your classroom, then you can easily refer back to some of the most relevant ones to remind your students what to expect and how they should behave when it’s time for indoor recess.
Rules for Clean-up and Working Together:
Turn-Taking Social Skills Activities
Other Important Skills Necessary for a Positive Elementary Indoor Recess Environment:
Kindness Social Skills Activities
Respecting Property Social Skills Activities
Voice Level Social Skills Activities
If you haven’t dove into the world of social skills stories and activities yet, don’t worry! Add them to your Morning Meeting routine, classroom library, and during read-aloud time.
Soon enough, you’ll be ready to dive head-first into the social skills world, and I’ve got you covered! Find many more social skill stories and activities in my shop and TPT page.
2. Set Up Stations
Arrange different stations around your classroom. Stations provide a little bit of structure for you (hello easier classroom management!!) while allowing students to explore a variety of activities.
Some kids will flit and flurry to multiple stations throughout recess while others will stay and engage fully in one area.
If you notice any students wandering aimlessly or looking lonely, take a moment to pair them up with a peer or assist them in getting started with a station that interests them.
3. Use Brain-Building Toys
Brain-building toys are fun AND engage students in multi-step learning, strategic planning, and imaginative play. Choosing brain-building toys is sure to make all your indoor recess days engaging and fun!
Check out some of these tried and true favorites your students will love, then find even more ideas in the Indoor Recess part 1: Brain Building Toys post:
Building Blocks
Encourage the future architects in your classroom with building blocks. Challenge them to construct the tallest tower or the most unique buildings and bridges.
Watch as imagination and sequencing skills explode!
Puzzles
Set up one table with Daily Logic Puzzles to encourage little minds to stretch their thinking while having fun.
Different Puzzles Found in the Daily Logic Puzzle Set:
- Missing letter puzzles
- Word-play puzzles
- Sudokus
- Pattern puzzles
- Riddles
- Logic puzzles
While completing these brain-building puzzles, little minds are simultaneously working on their problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and perseverance to challenges!
Encourage students to work together for more fun. Set up short timers to make this station competitive. Whatever you decide will be perfect!
TEACHER TIP: Easily differentiate play with these puzzles for different skill levels in your classroom.
Board Games and Card Games
Expose kids to classic board games and card games like Guess Who?, Uno, Dominoes, and Checkers.
Not only will they have a blast, but they will also learn about strategy, practice math skills, and implement turn-taking without even realizing it!
STEM Kits
STEM is all the rage these days, and rightfully so! Help students learn to code, build robots, explore science skills, and more while they play with STEM kits like these:
- Build a Track STEM Puzzle Game
- IQ Builder Construction and Engineering Set for Kids
- Lego Gear Bots Activity Set
Sets like these make for the perfect elementary indoor recess station! Devote an entire recess session to different STEM kits, or just select one to use. Your kids will flock to these toys either way!
Puppet Show
Puppets are a great way to encourage creativity, promote social and emotional development, and build communication skills. Use hand puppets already found in your classroom, gather art supplies to allow students to create their own puppets, or even use stuffed animals!
Create a puppet show theater for students using a big freezer or refrigerator box. Allow students to decorate the box for added fun! Show students how to hang puppets on a puppet tree when they’re finished playing.
Easy Puppet Show Cleanup
Using extra large cardboard boxes allows for super quick cleanup as you can just fold the theater up when not in use. Also, slide the puppet tree into your closet or a corner when indoor recess is done so they’ll be ready for the next rainy day.
Grab this FREE puppet show planning page to get students more involved in this fun station!
Don’t forget to check out part 1 of the Indoor Recess series about other brain-building toys you can use during indoor recess.
4. Rotate Toys
Even though you have some great brain-building toy ideas, don’t always use the same few options during every indoor recess— that’s going to get boring QUICK! Mix it up to keep things fresh for your favorite little kids.
By rotating toys and activities, you’re exposing kids to different options they may not have available at home or in other familiar settings. You can also lean into the diverse interests of your students more easily when offering different choices.
Ultimately, when kids are engaged and excited, they’ll be less disruptive when the unexpected rainy day comes your way. Another big win for a positive atmosphere and classroom management!
5. Have Fun with Your Students!
Don’t overlook the special— and even magical!— that happens when students see their teacher cross over from the one who teaches to someone who takes time to go full-on play mode with them too!
One giggle at a time, you’ll be spreading joy and creating a positive atmosphere and classroom community!
6. Celebrate Achievements
Finally, celebrate your students! They need encouragement. Not all of them receive positive feedback at home, and you have the power to fill these gaps during the school day!
Make a big deal about the tallest towers, silliest robots, and completed puzzles you see during indoor recess.
When students feel encouraged, they feel loved. When they feel loved, they are more likely to do the hard work to recreate a positive atmosphere the next time indoor recess happens.
It’s another win for the entire classroom community!
When you spend preparing students for what’s to come, you ALL will feel less flustered and crazy and can truly ENJOY the positive atmosphere you’ve created for elementary indoor recess the next time you peek out your window to see rain falling when it’s time for your kids to bolt out the door!
Let me know if you have any questions about anything you see here. Don’t forget to pin this post to refer to it later!
Other posts you may enjoy:
8 Best Brain Building Toys to Make Indoor Recess Engaging and Fun
10 Tips for a Successful Morning Routine to Reduce Chaos in the Elementary Classroom
MAKE MORNING ROUTINES IN YOUR CLASSROOM FUN AND ENGAGING WITH THESE
Free Morning Meeting Songs & Greetings
The perfect way to get students energized and ready to go in the mornings!
Diane Romo
Thank you for being here! I love sharing ideas with other teachers! If you are looking to enhance your teaching and build a positive classroom community, you have come to the right place!