With winter weather comes a necessary change in our daily routine at school – indoor recess! While we greatly value the chance for students to run, shout, play, and exercise during outdoor recess, indoor recess has many benefits as well! Indoor recess offers opportunities for positive play, teamwork, fine motor development, and experience in learning how to resolve conflicts. It can have powerful implications for a child’s maturation. In order to have a positive indoor recess experience, it is important to provide choices to students. Students should have the freedom to choose what they want to do during indoor recess. Let them explore and discover! During K, 1, and 2 indoor recesses, we take this independence to another level. The students may choose the classroom they wish to visit. They may come and go as they wish as long as expectations are being met. They love the opportunity to visit different classrooms and participate in different activities that may not be an option in their classroom.
When we have indoor recess, we break out board games, brain based toys, puzzles, STEM bins, and many other activities. Allowing our students to be creative is so important for their young minds. Opportunities to draw, paint, and create are also offered. When students work together to play and create, it allows them to develop their social skills. Students are encouraged to problem solve on their own, develop new ideas, and take ownership of their play.
Some of first grade’s favorite activities are the Creation Station (very messy but oh-so-fun!), making jewelry in the second grade classroom, building with Magnetiles, fort sticks and Legos, and breaking out the coding robots. Of course, being with their friends tops the list! Students don’t realize how much they are learning while they are having so much fun!