Board, Card & Other Seated Games

Board, Card & Other Seated Games

What are some great indoor recreational activities that don’t call for quite so much activity? For a calmer classroom, check out some of the games below. Though they’re more conducive to a controlled room, they’re sure to keep your students entertained.

• Board games, checkers, and chess: Classic board games can still provide hours of indoor fun. If your students are up for a challenge, you can let them play checkers or chess in pairs. These games are fun to play while promoting critical reasoning, thinking ahead, strategy and even social skills — it’s hard to play a game together without talking to your partner!
• Card games: Games such as Go Fish and Old Maid will provide many recesses full of fun, cooperative play.
• Hand-clapping games: Though hand jives aren’t great for maintaining a quiet classroom, they promote coordination and social skills, and they’re catchy and enjoyable for kids to boot. Familiar old chants like “Miss Mary Mack” and “Miss Susie” can help your students practice eye-hand coordination, rhythm, memorization and wordplay while interacting with friends.
• Guessing games: Classic games — like Heads Up, Seven Up; Who Has the Bean; and Doggy, Doggy, Where’s Your Bone? — use a little mystery to keep kids engaged and smiling. There’s always Pictionary, too, which allows kids to play and draw at the same time.