Recess Games for Lower Elementary
Group recess games are a staple of every school playground, but sometimes teachers and students alike can grow weary of playing the same ones over and over again. Here are a few recess games you might consider adding to your rotation.
Johnny Johnny
Materials needed: Two end zones, either opposite walls of a gym or cones/other markers to delineate two safe areas. Ideal spacing depends on group size and age of the players.
Considerations: Can be played inside or outside.
The aim of the game: To be the last player to be caught.
Instructions: Choose one player to be “it.” They will stand in the middle of the playing field, halfway between the two end zones.
The rest of the players will go to one of the end zones. They will then call out in unison, “Johnny, Johnny, may we cross your bridge today?”
The person who is “it” will then respond, “Only if you’re wearing the color ___.” At that point, anyone who is wearing the specified color may cross to the other end zone, unhindered. Anyone who is not wearing the specified colour must wait until the person who is “it” says “Go!” At this point, they must try to get safely to the other side without being tagged. Anyone who gets tagged will then join the person who is “it” in the middle and help them tag players in consecutive rounds.
This repeats until everyone is caught.
Options for variation:
If your group size is large, you may want to choose two people to be “it” to start.
Another twist on this game is to allow the person who is “it” to allow crossing based on something other than color of clothing. They may make up whatever stipulations they want to, such as, “Only if you had cereal for breakfast” or “Only if you have a dog at home.”
Freeze Tag
Materials needed: If outside, a way to mark a contained area, such as the boundaries of a baseball diamond, or a rectangular area marked with cones.
Considerations: Can be played inside or outside.
The aim of the game: To be the last player to be caught and to help free those who have been caught.
Instructions: This game is like regular tag, only when someone is tagged, they must freeze in that position until another player comes and “frees” them by touching them. If a player runs out of the boundary lines, they need to freeze on the line and wait to be freed.
In order to keep the game from extending into infinity, it works well to instill a rule like “If you’re caught three times, you also become ‘it.’”
Options for variation:
If your group size is large, you may want to choose two people to be “it” to start.
Young children may enjoy a twist called “Chicken Tag” (or cow tag or dog tag or whatever animal you want), in which they must cluck like a chicken the entire time they’re frozen.
23 Skidoo
Materials needed: Two end zones, either opposite walls of a gym or cones/other markers to delineate two safe areas. Ideal spacing depends on groups size and age of the players.
Considerations: Can be played inside or outside. We also used to enjoy playing this one while skating on the rink during the winter.
The aim of the game: To be the last player to be caught and to help free those who have been caught.
Instructions: In this game, players try to run from one end of the playing field to the other without being tagged by the one or two people who are “it”. While in the end zones, they are safe and cannot be tagged. If a player is tagged, they must go to the middle of the playing field and stand with their arms outstretched.
Other players can free those caught in the middle by touching their hand or shoulder and counting aloud to twenty-three. If there is danger of being tagged while they are counting, they may run off at any time. At that point, the player who is caught in the middle may call out whatever number the counting left off at (for example “sixteen!”) At that point, any other player who comes to free them may continue counting from sixteen until they get to twenty-three. After the person counting gets to twenty-three, they must say “Skidoo!” at which point the caught person is free to run back to a safe zone and continue playing.
Option for variation: You can instill a rule like “If you’re caught three times, you also become “it.” This helps the game move faster and doesn’t tax those who are “it” as much.
Wave
Materials needed: A cone or landmark (such as a step, post, tree, etc.) to be the home base.
Considerations: Works best as an outdoor game.
The aim of the game: To be among the last players to be caught and to help free those who have been caught.
Instructions: One person is chosen to be “it.” They close their eyes and count to fifty (or some other chosen number) while everyone else runs and hides somewhere nearby. The person who is “it” may circulate freely to try to find people. If they see someone, they catch them simply by calling out their name.
If a player’s name is called by the person who is “it,” they must go to the home base. They will stay there until they see any player who has not been caught waving at them. If they see someone waving, they may run away and hide again. If the person who is “it” is nearby and sees them escaping, they may call out their name again, in which case the player must return to the base and wait to see another wave.
You will want to make it clear that players need to escape within around thirty seconds of seeing a wave, otherwise the wave is “too old” to count anymore.
Choose a certain number of students that the person who is “it” must have caught at one time before the game is over. It usually works best for that number to be around 50-60% of the total number of players.
Tennis Ball Softball
Materials needed:
Tennis racket
Tennis ball
Baseball diamond
The aim of the game: For your team to get the most runs.
Instructions: This is simply a twist on regular softball where the bat and ball are replaced by a tennis racket and tennis ball. This has several advantages, particularly for young students. One is that ball gloves are not needed. Another is that young students can hit a tennis ball with a racket much more easily than they can hit a softball with a bat. This keeps the game moving much more quickly (and makes it much easier for a lone teacher who is often trying to pitch and give batting assistance at the same time!)
This is a perfect way to introduce young students to the concepts of softball rules (how to run around the bases, how to play outfield, etc.) with less stress and hassle than a bat and softball create.
Tubes
Materials needed:
An assortment of balls; dodge-ball type balls work best, though soccer balls could be used as well. You will want somewhere between 10-20 balls.
“Tubes.” You need one tube for each player. These can be created out of a wide variety of materials. My school had large PVC pipe (around 4-5 inches in diameter) cut into chunks, each creating a free-standing tube around 12 inches tall. The same could be done with stiff cardboard tubing. Another option would be going to a department store or flooring store and asking for old carpeting tubes.
Alternatively, you could collect large empty jugs (at least gallon-sized or larger) and use those as your tubes.
A rectangular playing area with a central dividing line.
Considerations: Could be played inside or outside, though a contained space like a gym will more conveniently keep errant balls from getting away.
The aim of the game: To keep your own tube standing and knock down the opposing team’s tubes.
Instructions: The group is divided into two teams. Each team goes to one side of the dividing center line and sets their tube upright on the ground. The balls are placed along the center line. Players are not allowed to cross the center line.
Once the game begins, players may run to grab the balls. They then try to throw them at the opposing team’s tubes and knock them over. Each player is also trying to stop balls from hitting their own tube. If a player’s tube is knocked over, they are out of the game and watch on the sidelines until the game is over (which happens once all the tubes of one team have been knocked over).
Options for variation:
You could also play that once a player’s tube is knocked over, they join the opposing team.
Another variation is to delineate a narrow section at the back ends of the playing zone. When a person’s tube is knocked over, they go to the back end behind the opposing team and try to knock down tubes from there. If they successfully knock a tube down, they may return to their side and set up their tube again.
Photo by Elizabeth Dunne on Unsplash
