How long is this recess? It would take five or ten minutes to hand out the games.

Anonymous wrote:twister
freeze tag
musical chairs
duck duck goose if they're in PS to K
"dance freeze" (dance when music plays; stop when it stops)
jumping jacks

...and that took five seconds. It's not that hard to think of things.

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I think the op said it was two classes in one classroom. No way you would have enough room for running around games.

With two classes crammed into one, where do you ever find the space to play table games, legos, etc.?

Anonymous wrote:Legos, Lincoln logs, tinker toys, tiddly winks. Toys where if u lose one piece, you can still play the game.

Good point.

Anonymous wrote:Why are they cramming two classes into one small room? Could they run relay races in the halls? If there is enough room, duct tape and a ball work for 4-squate.

LOL!
Relay races in the hall? I wish!! Where do your kids go to school??

My kids get 20 minutes for recess, but it's during a time when other classes are still in session (other grades). Definitely not acceptable for the kids to be running relay races in the hall. My DS would LOVE that though! They're in a classroom because they can't use the gym (other classes are in PE), and they can't use the multi-purpose room (other classes are having lunch).

They cram two classes together, mostly because it's usually about 3 recess aides for the entire grade level. So, they have to do it.

FWIW, we're at a public school. Private might be different if there's smaller class sizes/more room?

Legos, Lincoln logs, tinker toys, tiddly winks. Toys where if u lose one piece, you can still play the game.

Anonymous wrote:

twister
freeze tag
musical chairs
duck duck goose if they're in PS to K
"dance freeze" (dance when music plays; stop when it stops)
jumping jacks

...and that took five seconds. It's not that hard to think of things.

Great ideas. It amazes me that the helicopter moms are taking this so seriously. I was a teacher, we played the games you listed above and others.

As a teacher, I can tell you that one of the most important functions of recess is to get a break from being told what to do, and directed by an adult. Board games and open ended toys like legos are a much better choice for indoor recess than a game like Duck Duck Goose where all but 2 of the kids are getting practice sitting still at any given moment.

I teach fifth grade and the biggest hits in my class are:
Apples to Apples Jr
Connect 4
Chess
Scrabble
Boggle

(I have Life and Monopoly but recess is only 15 minutes so there's not enough time to really play these games.

4-squate = 4-square

Why are they cramming two classes into one small room? Could they run relay races in the halls? If there is enough room, duct tape and a ball work for 4-squate.

Anonymous wrote:

twister
freeze tag
musical chairs
duck duck goose if they're in PS to K
"dance freeze" (dance when music plays; stop when it stops)
jumping jacks

...and that took five seconds. It's not that hard to think of things.

Great ideas. It amazes me that the helicopter moms are taking this so seriously. I was a teacher, we played the games you listed above and others.

How old are your kids? They're good ideas, but most don't work once you get into the 2nd/3rd/higher grades.

It's usually 40 kids (2 classes) crammed into a classroom, so there is definitely no freeze tag/dance freeze. Just too many kids for that.

And, like the PP said, once they get past about first grade, they're a bit old for Duck, Duck, Goose.

Not sure what you mean by 'helicopter moms'? Are you saying because some of the PPs bought games for their kids to play for indoor recess, they're being helicopter moms?

twister
freeze tag
musical chairs
duck duck goose if they're in PS to K
"dance freeze" (dance when music plays; stop when it stops)
jumping jacks

...and that took five seconds. It's not that hard to think of things.

Great ideas. It amazes me that the helicopter moms are taking this so seriously. I was a teacher, we played the games you listed above and others.

twister
freeze tag
musical chairs
duck duck goose if they're in PS to K
"dance freeze" (dance when music plays; stop when it stops)
jumping jacks

...and that took five seconds. It's not that hard to think of things.

Lego for elementary aged boys. You can't go wrong

omg, the pc police is coming after you!

Lego for elementary aged boys. You can't go wrong.