Brain Breaks & Indoor Recess Ideas

I don't know about you, but some of the hardest days in the classroom are those rainy days when the kids can't go outside. They get restless, loud... and overall crazy! I don't blame them, I get stir crazy too!

This year, we had several indoor recess days due to weather, sometimes because it was too hot outside or the air quality was poor. My 5th graders were tired of playing the same old board games or cards, and even the boys who normally built with K'nex were not into it.

Enter... Go Noodle! 

All you have to do is sign your class up. As a class, you get to choose a monster that your class will help grow as they participate. My 5th graders absolutely loved the funny names of the monsters...

Ultimately, my kiddos picked Squatchy Berger.




From there, you can choose the types of activities you do. There is yoga, breath training, stretching for your more mellow activities...

There is also dancing, zumba, sing-alongs, track & field (featuring Team USA olympic athletes), and my class's personal favorite "Let It Go" music video and "Happy" featuring the Despicable Me minions.

Every 15 minutes of  "Play Time" results in your monster ready to grow. Once your monster is fully grown, your class can earn a certificate for the classroom.

I found it extremely interactive, and my students were often begging me if we could play it for a couple of minutes. Even my more shy kids were participating, often huddling around the front of the classroom to get a better view.

I hope you'll try it, and if you do, please let me know what you think. I've found Go Noodle to help build classroom inclusion and morale.

Do you have anything that you've found to be effective to give your kids a little break? How about any indoor recess ideas? 

I'd love to hear other ideas!