When the weather outside is frightful, letting students play inside is delightful. It may not be ideal for exercise, but indoor recess can be turned into a fun, worthwhile alternative to the playground with a bit of creative thinking. Fortunately, there are a variety of engaging and educational activities one can implement during indoor recess games for kindergartners.
Dance Freeze
Dancing possesses many benefits for child development, including increased self-esteem and greater physical health. What better way to get children to be more active while also having a blast? Dance Freeze combines the energy of moving the body with the need for good concentration skills. Play a song for a random period of time and tell the students that when the music stops, they must freeze in place. The poses they make are hilarious, but it’s the ability to stay in the same position that helps children gain a stronger sense of focus and control.
Up, Down, Stop, Go
It’s easy for a student to obey the commands “Up” and “Down”, but what if “Down” was “Up” and “Up” was “Down?” This unique game tests a student’s memory by turning normal commands into opposites. When you say “Down”, the student must start jumping up. When you say “Go”, the student must freeze. The necessary skills required for this deceptively challenging game are what make it so interesting, and beneficial for the mind.
Charades
Strong visualization skills and a powerful imagination help bring the classic game of charades to life in any classroom. FunAttic suggests splitting the students up into teams rather than individually. This overall can improve relationships between students and increase their ability to work well in a group setting. Also, be sure to specify categories that include references students will recognize. Possibilities include cartoons, picture books, food groups, and household items.
Pictionary
Children’s drawing skills refine as the years go by, but even in kindergarten can be found some burgeoning Picassos. Give children markers and pieces of paper, then provide them with the names of the objects they must draw. Their fellow teammates must deduce what they’re drawing based on the shape so make it easy for them. Food is a popular category, as are animals and school supplies.
Trivia
Trivia questions require a thorough understanding of subjects such as math, geography, and pop culture. But a student doesn’t have to have an expansive knowledge to be able to remember which shape they learned about yesterday. Prizes like candy and stickers can be given to those who can recall the most facts about what they’ve learned so far in the school year. You’ll be seeing a vast improvement in memory skills and learning comprehension with a game like this. And if you mention you’ll be playing trivia again in the future, you’ll likely see students paying more attention in class (always a plus!)
Four Corners
Many kids really enjoy this game that involves personal choice. To play Four Corners, assign each corner of your classroom a number. Choose one of the students to stand in the middle of the room as leader and have the rest stand in any of the corners they wish. The leader must then close their eyes and count backwards from ten as students walk from one corner to another or stay where they are.
Once complete, the leader picks a corner number and everyone in that corner are eliminated from the game and must sit down. The children have to guess which corner the leader will choose and not be in that corner or risk elimination. The last student standing is deemed the winner and can then become the new leader. While it may be random, Four Corners teaches students to make choices and deal with the consequences of those choices, just as they will have to do later in life. Who knew a simple game could foster such a crucial life skill?
These six games and more are the perfect way to spend a rainy, cold day indoors while still having a great time and improving a child’s cognition. Next time you stay indoors, try one of them and see the joy it brings to your students.
