Fun Indoor Recess Games for Rainy or Cold Days
1. Follow the Leader Obstacle Course
Have students line up, and assign one lucky student to be the leader. The leader gets to walk around the classroom while everyone else follows. Ideally, the leader will get creative - crawling under desks, jumping over tiles, throwing in dance moves, etc.
For added fun (but also added work), let students move a few things around in the classroom so it feels more like an obstacle course.
After the leader has spent a sufficient time at the front of the line, choose a new leader.
For a tamer version of this, have one student stand at the front of the classroom and make school-appropriate moves with his body (dancing, jumping, spinning, etc.) while the rest of the class imitates.
2. Indoor Scavenger Hunts
Make a list of interesting things for students to find around the classroom, and then send students on their way! For example:
- something taller than 3 feet
- something made of metal
- something squishy
- something that has 3 syllables
This makes a great indoor recess activity because it can be easily adapted based on behavior. You can allow students to work in pairs, walk around the classroom, talk to other students, or complete the scavenger hunt while seated and quiet.
Check out these 8 no prep indoor scavenger hunts that you can use for rainy days.
3. 4 Corners
The game is simple:
- Label each classroom corner 1-4.
- One student stands in the middle and closes their eyes.
- While the middle student counts to 10, everyone else chooses a corner to stand in.
- After counting, the middle student calls out a number (1-4).
- Students in that corner are out and sit down.
- Repeat until one student remains. That student becomes the next caller in the middle.
4. Balloon Toss
Blow up a balloon and tell students they have to work together to keep it from touching the ground for as long as possible.
You can vary the rules depending on how crazy you want it to get:
- For the wildest game, students can move around the classroom as they see fit.
- For a more controlled game, have students choose a spot around the room to stand, and tell them they must keep one foot in their spot at all times (but can pivot with the other foot).
- For the calmest version, tell students they must remain seated at all times.
5. Rock, Paper, Scissors, Group Game
Have students pair up and play one round of Rock, Paper, Scissors. The loser of each game joins the winner's team, following them and cheering them on as they find a new partner to play. Repeat until you are down to 2 contestants, and the rest of the class is cheering one of them on. Everyone watches and cheers their team as these 2 play the final round of Rock, Paper Scissors.
This video has a quick demonstration of this game.
6. Freeze Dance
Turn on some music and have students dance. Periodically, turn the music off. Anytime the music turns off, students must freeze.
You can make this a game by calling students to sit down if they move when they are supposed to be frozen. Or, you could just let students dance and freeze throughout recess.
If you have a class that is uncomfortable dancing, then you could call out different things for them to do while the music is playing. For example:
- hop on one foot
- crunches
- jumping jacks
- arm circles
This also makes an easy and fun brain break.
7. Discussion Questions with Partners
This isn't really a game, but it lets students talk in a structured format. Have students partner up with their peers using Kagan's "Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up" Structure:
- Students stand up and raise one hand.
- Students walk around the classroom and find a partner with their hand up.
- Students lower their hands, pair up, and answer a discussion question.
- At the teacher's signal, students stop the discussion and raise their hand to find a new partner.
You can use discussion questions like these for fun conversation starters.
Indoor Recess Activities to Get Energy Out
8. Paper Snowball Fight
Have students crumple up half sheets of paper and have a paper snowball fight. Depending on how crazy you want it to get, set some ground rules. For example, the game stops if students start running or throwing snowballs intentionally at each other's faces.
This activity is not just for indoor recess - you can review a variety of different skills using snowball fights.
Or, download a free reading comprehension snowball fight activity here.
9. GoNoodle Videos
GoNoodle has a huge variety of free videos that get students up and moving. While some of them might seem juvenile to upper elementary students, there are plenty of videos that they will love. And they also make great brain breaks!
Try:
- Road Trippin' USA
- Aunt Sally Is A Pirate
- U Can't Touch This (if you're feeling nostalgic)
10. The Floor is Lava
This is a fun game with an easy setup.
- Scatter 25-30 pieces of construction paper across the floor, using only 5 or 6 colors. Space the sheets of paper within safe jumping distance.
- Have all students stand off the paper.
- Call out a color.
- Students must jump onto a sheet of that color. They may only jump - no walking or touching the floor.
- Students who touch the floor or can't reach the correct color are in the lava and are out.
- Continue calling colors until only a few students remain.
- Repeat.
11. Dance Party
Turn on some music and let students dance!
For kids who are shy about their dance moves, play some songs that have specific steps:
- Cha-Cha Slide
- Cupid Shuffle
- Chicken Dance
- The Macarena
- The Wobble (use a school-appropriate version)
Quiet Activities for Indoor Recess
12. Silent Ball
This activity has the advantage of requiring quiet, while also requiring a little bit of student movement.
Students pass a ball around in complete silence. If they make a bad throw, they are out. If they miss a catch, they are out. If they giggle, or laugh, or make any sort of noise, they are out. The last player standing is the winner.
13. Drawing Videos
Pull up a drawing video on YouTube and have students follow along at their desks. Melanie Peterson, a 5th grade teacher, recommends Art for Kids Hub videos for when her class is looking for something fun to do.
Have students draw:
- an ice cream cone
- a unicorn popsicle
- a dragon
- a ring pop
- ...and much more
14. Heads Up 7 Up
This was my 5th grade teacher's go-to game:
- Choose 7 students to stand at the front of the room.
- Everyone else puts their heads down, closes their eyes, and puts one thumb up.
- The 7 standing students walk around quietly and each tap one thumb.
- After 7 thumbs are tapped, the 7 students return to the front of the room.
- The teacher says, "Heads up, 7 up!"
- The 7 students who were tapped stand and guess who tapped them.
- If a student guesses correctly, they switch places with the tapper.
- Play again with the new group of 7.
15. Origami Videos
For this activity, students will each need a square sheet of paper.
Have students follow along to an origami video like the ones on Origami With Jo Nakashima. This YouTube channel is organized by simple, intermediate, and complex, so you can challenge your students appropriately. The jumping frog is always a fun introduction into origami!
16. Who's Missing
This is a fun, quiet game that requires no prep.
- Choose one student to stand in the hallway.
- Quietly select another student to hide (behind a desk, curtain, or another safe spot).
- Have the remaining students change up where they are sitting.
- Invite the student back from the hallway and have them guess who is missing.
- Play again with different students guessing and hiding.