Surviving Indoor Recess: Simple Play Ideas That Won’t Drive You Crazy

In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares simple ways to survive indoor recess without losing your sanity. If indoor recess in your classroom feels loud, chaotic, or completely exhausting, this episode is for you.

Whether it’s freezing temperatures, pouring rain, or just one of those days when going outside isn’t an option, indoor recess happens more often than we’d like. Instead of dreading it, you’ll learn how to put a plan in place that keeps kids playing, happy, and calm, all without a ton of prep or structure.

Molly walks you through how she handled indoor recess in her own first grade classroom, from setting clear expectations to choosing play options that actually work. You’ll hear practical ideas for free play, simple materials kids love, and low-stress games that don’t turn your classroom upside down.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

✔️ Why indoor recess still needs rules and how to set them up ahead of time

✔️ Simple indoor recess expectations that help keep noise and behavior under control

✔️ Easy free play ideas kids love, like art, building toys, and playdough

✔️ How to use classroom centers during indoor recess to give kids choice

✔️ Favorite whole-group indoor games that are fun but not wild

By the end of this episode, you’ll feel more confident walking into your next indoor recess with a plan that allows kids to play while still keeping your classroom under control.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Favorite Indoor Recess Toys List – https://firstieland.com/indoor-toys

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To see everything mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes:

👉 https://firstieland.com/podcast

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Have a wonderful day and remember to make learning feel like play… see you next week! 💜

Molly

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