8 Best Brain Building Toys To Make Indoor Recess Engaging and Fun
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IT’S RECESS TIME!!!! Wait, what… It’s raining?! As elementary teachers, we all know how disappointing it can be when the rain comes pouring down during recess, forcing your busy little ones to stay indoors. Don’t worry though– brain building toys are the PERFECT solution to your indoor recess days!
Check out 8 brain building toys that are sure to make your next indoor recess engaging and fun:
- Foam Building Blocks
- Legos
- Playdoh
- Zoob Racerz Car Designer
- Big Bolt Construction Starter Set
- Dollhouse
- Wooden Letter and Number Construction Set
- Art Center
This post contains some affiliate links. *As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Indoor Recess: Problems & Solution
There are two main problems with indoor recess that make it feel out of control– noise level and student boredom!
The easy solution to both of these problems is to make sure you have indoor recess activities on hand that are both interesting and engaging for your students— cue BRAIN BUILDING TOYS!
*An added bonus for your kids (and YOU!) is that these activities also slide under the kid-radar as educational! Kids can’t concentrate AND shout at the same time, right?…hopefully!
You can purchase most of these toys directly from Amazon, but you can also create a list with Donor’s Choose in order to get supplies donated to your classroom.
Indoor Recess Ideas: 8 BEST Brain Building Toys
1. FOAM BUILDING BLOCKS
These FOAM BUILDING BLOCKS will be a huge hit with your students.
The colors, shapes, and texture are inviting to the kids, and the silence of falling foam towers will be HEAVENLY to you!
2. LEGOS
LEGOS, in any size and in any capacity, will always be a hit in your classroom. But, when you can give kids an ABUNDANCE of them (like at indoor recess!), something magical happens!
They are able to kick their imaginations into overdrive and create AMAZING things.
3. PLAYDOH
Kids love PLAYDOH! It is a wonderful sensory activity as kids smell and touch the material. It also promotes increased social skills by encouraging sharing and creative play together.
Full “playdoh imaginary play” is so fun to watch and experience– you will likely receive more playdoh pizzas, cakes, pies, and tacos than you can count during inside recess!
Teacher tips for playdoh to save you time & money:
- Create clear rules about where kids can play with the playdoh
- Put routines into place about the clean up and storage of the playdoh after each play session
4. ZOOB RACERZ CAR DESIGNER
These ZOOB connectors are another great brain-building toy to pull out during indoor recess time!
They especially lend themselves to cooperative play, as kids always seem eager to connect their creations together.
5. BIG BOLT CONSTRUCTION STARTER SET
This BIG BOLT CONSTRUCTION STARTER SET will quickly become a favorite to watch at indoor recess time.
This set comes with hammers, wrenches, and other tools, and it was such a joy to watch the kids working away on their creations like grown builders.
6. DOLLHOUSE
Girls and boys alike will enjoy imaginative role-play with this dollhouse and dolls.
For your classroom, a set of dolls that come with non-removable clothing will be your best choice–nobody has time for naked doll drama! This set also includes various multicultural options to help promote inclusion and diversity in your classroom.
7. WOODEN LETTER AND NUMBER CONSTRUCTION SET
This WOODEN LETTER AND NUMBER CONSTRUCTION SET is a favorite for those creative kids who enjoy working on a smaller scale. (Each pegboard is 7” x 7”.)
Grab at least six sets so that up to six students can work in this area at one time. Kids will have fun creating lots of pictures, but you will be surprised to see letter and number practice too!
This is truly a must-have brain building toy for your indoor recess set!
8. ART CENTER
An art center is another MUST for any indoor recess day!
Art is such a valuable way for students to express themselves, and offering access to it whenever you can is always a great idea.
Your art area can be as elaborate or simple as you choose it to be. Some essentials to consider are:
- plain white paper
- construction paper
- tape
- scissors
- staplers
- glue
- erasers
- watercolor paint sets
- crayons
- multicultural crayons
- markers
- colored pencils
Remember, rainy days are just opportunities in disguise! Introducing brain building toys for indoor recess helps keep boredom at bay, sound levels down, and creativity and learning in full bloom!
Embrace your next indoor recess with excitement as you reach for these 8 brain-building toys!
Let me know if you have any questions about anything you see here. Don’t forget to pin this post to refer to it later!
Other posts you may enjoy:
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Diane Romo
Thank you for being here! I love sharing ideas with other teachers! If you are looking to enhance your teaching and build a positive classroom community, you have come to the right place!
