Make the Most of Indoor Recess

  1. Updates

By the time winter break comes, many schools have had more indoor recess than planned. Even if some students are accustomed to snow and frigid temperatures, the weather can sometimes still prevent outdoor play. Educators feel the effect of being confined to indoor recess just like their students, but they know play is important for students’ social-emotional development and academic success. That’s where we come in.

Playworks is here to help local schools ensure kids have fun and remain active at recess each and every day, regardless of the weather forecast.

Through direct service programs and professional development training, Playworks integrates social-emotional learning and skill-building into activities during recess, both indoor and outdoor.

  • We also place full-time coaches to facilitate activities in schools where 50 percent of the student population is considered high-need.
  • Personalized training is offered to faculty and staff in other schools to implement Playworks programming independently.
  • With the help of Playworks Pro workshops, your team can attend in-person training for winter which includes Indoor Recess Design. This three-hour game-intensive workshop that explores principles for effective and healthy indoor games and leaves partner schools and youth organizations with action plans to implement indoor recess successfully.
  • We also have a brand new Indoor Recess course on PlayworksU.  Digital coursework through PlayworksU, an online subscription-based service, shows teachers how to leverage indoor spaces to bring out the best in every kid.

Additionally, this online guide to indoor recess games is a great resource to help plan potential recess options. It features an assortment of activities to get kids moving and improve their motor and listening skills while teaching them to take turns with their peers and a sense of boundaries. Games are categorized based on group size, ideal ages, and topics and offer variations to help game leaders adjust complexity, for group size or age differences, or for the amount of time they have to play.

Find more indoor recess ideas here

 

 

More Updates


Children actively playing during recess
Children actively playing during recess

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Jill Vialet at reccess
Jill Vialet at reccess

Nonprofit Leadership Podcasts

August 5, 2019

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coach playing with kids
coach playing with kids

WISH

January 6, 2015

Keeping kids active during winter ›

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Winter can be a difficult time for motivating activity in kids. The cold weather entices young ones to stay inside, sometimes playing video games instead of playing outside. “I think [indoor play] is critical this time of year,” says Marc McAleavey, Executive Director of Playworks Indiana.