Recess At-Home

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With distance learning comes distance recess. Here are some games and activities that can be played outside or inside, individually or with a partner, with little to no supplies beyond what you probably already have on hand. These are also great “brain break” activities for when your student just needs to do something that doesn’t look or feel like school work!

  • Keep It in the Air – I remember playing this game for HOURS as a child! All you need is a balloon or a beach ball. Hit it in the air and don’t let it touch the ground! For some added coordination difficulty, tape off a square of space that your child has to stay within while keeping the balloon from touching the floor.
  • Simon Says – A classic childhood game that is a favorite in camps. Choose one person to be Simon and give directions starting with “Simon says…” Examples are: Simon says stand on one foot, Simon says hop like a kangaroo, Simon says spin in a circle. But watch out! If the directions don’t start with “Simon says…” and you do the motion, you’re out!
  • Animal Hop Scotch – You will need colored sidewalk chalk and a driveway or patio (or colored tape and a long hallway) to start moving like an animal. For our full K-Blog click here.
  • Relay Race – Another camp classic; two bowls, a ladle, and some water make for a fun activity on a sunny day. Fill one bowl with water and place it at one end of a patio or driveway. Place the empty bowl at the other end. When you say “go” time your student to see how fast they can move the water from one bowl to the other, one scoop at a time! For a rainy day or indoor option, use two bowls, a spoon, and cotton balls.
  • Obstacle Course – Sofa cushions, chairs, coffee tables, brooms and pillows all can be used to create barriers to climb over, crawl under, run around, and limbo under. Line up each obstacle or place them randomly around to create your own course. After your student goes through it once, send them through again, but this time moving backward!
  • Stuffed Animal Leapfrog – Want to play leapfrog but there’s no one else around? Grab some stuffed animals, place them in order with space in-between and start leaping!
  • How Many Steps? – Have a student at home who likes counting? Ask them to count how many steps it takes them from one room to another. Change it up by having them take really big steps, small tippy-toe steps, twirly steps, or frog hops.
  • Roll the Dice, Pick a Card, Do the Activity – This activity needs dice, notecards, and space to do physical activities. Write the name of an activity (e.g., jumping jacks, sit-ups, lunges, frog hops, jump rope, stand on one foot, or touch your toes) and place the notecards in a stack or in a row face down. Have your child flip over one card, roll the dice, and then do the activity the number of times shown on the dice. For younger children, draw a picture of the activities on the cards and use just one die so they don’t get tired too fast.

Don’t have any dice at home? Here’s a pattern to print, cut-out, and glue/tape together to use for the last activity!

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