Having to keep your tweens cooped up in the classroom is difficult, and both the kids and adults will need a break.
That’s where classroom games come in handy! There are lots of great indoor games and activities that these kids will love, and will keep them out of trouble during indoor recess!
If you’re looking for some games to play with your 5th graders during indoor recess, you’ve come to the right place!
The games on this list are suitable for kids of any ability, and they will certainly help bring some laughter to the classroom!
1. Would You Rather: Exercise Edition
Would You Rather is a great game that will engage your 5th graders when they are stuck inside.
The exercise edition gets them moving and will allow them to expel some of that excess energy they would usually burn off from running around outdoors.
In this game, you will need to set up a slideshow of ‘would you rather’ questions. These can be things like: ‘Would you rather wear a yellow bag or an orange bag?’.
Those who would rather wear a yellow bag will be instructed to do jumping jacks for 30 seconds, and those who would rather wear an orange bag will be instructed to do lunges for 30 seconds.
The kids love this game and it encourages them to interact with their peers. It is a great way to get your 5th graders moving about when they’re stuck indoors.
2. Just Dance
Dancing is a great way to entertain the kids indoors. Just Dance on Youtube will encourage the bigger kids to get up and move about to some of their favorite songs!
Dancing may take some time for the class to warm up to, as they need to be fairly familiar with each other to be confident with dancing in a group setting.
In some classes, the whole group may get up and join in, whereas, in others, there may only be a few leading the dance while the others watch. Either way, dancing keeps the kids entertained and moving around.
You should check the Just Dance videos before showing them to the class to ensure that none of the dance moves are inappropriate.
If you are concerned about the dance moves, you can choose to use Go Noodle instead. While these dances will be clean and appropriate, they are geared toward much younger children.
The videos on Go Noodle are fun and interactive, but for older students, the moves are very simple.
3. Heads Up, 7 Up
Heads Up, 7 Up is a great game for the whole class to play together. It is suitable for children of all ages, and it helps children to develop their communication and deduction skills.
As well as developing their skills, this game is also very fun and it will keep your 5th graders entertained for hours!
To play this game, send 7 students up to the front of the room to be the ‘pickers’. The rest of the class will put their heads down on their desks and leave their thumbs sticking up.
The pickers in the room then creep around, gently tapping the thumb of another student.
When each kid has picked someone, those who have been tapped can then stand up one by one and guess who picked them.
If you find yourself stuck indoors because of the rain, choosing to play this game will certainly stop you and the kids from feeling cooped up and bored!
4. Four Corners
Four Corners is a very simple game that 5th graders love. It gets them up on their feet and moving around when the kids are stuck indoors.
This game is also great because it doesn’t require any tools or equipment. It is simple and easy to organize, and it will have your kids laughing in no time!
To play this game, one student is chosen to stand in the middle of the room and count to 10. During this time, all of the other kids have to choose a corner of the room to run to.
When the student in the middle has finished counting, he or she will call a corner and all of the students in that corner will have to sit down as they are out of the game. This game will continue until there is only one student standing.
5. Silent Speedball
Traditional Silent speedball is a super quick, fun game that requires the students to focus and work on their gross motor skills.
To play this game you will need some kind of softball. The students throw the ball to one another and the last person who remains in the game wins.
You will be out of the game if you drop the ball, throw the ball badly, or if you make any sound.
The silent part of this game is perfect for the teacher, as it will give you some peace during the game!
Other variations of this game are more inclusive. You can set a minute timer so that the team has to work together to see how many catches they can get in one minute!
This game opens itself up to many different challenges, such as throwing the ball in a sequence. You can add these throughout the game to make it more challenging.
6. Oh No, 99!
Oh No, 99 is one of those games that your students won’t stop requesting once they’ve played it once! It is a simple 2 player game that is easy to set up and will keep the kids entertained and quiet for hours!
It is also an educational game that reinforces the kids’ Math skills in a fun and exciting way!
The game aims to force the other player to exceed the score of 99. To play the game you will need to start with a deck of cards that has all of the jokers removed.
You will then need to write the designated card values on the board.
Player 1 will shuffle and deal out four cards to each player. The rest of the cards should remain face down in the middle.
Player 2 will then place a card face up in the middle and announce the number. After this, the players should take turns taking cards and adding to the accumulating score.
Every time a player places a card down, they will need to take one from the pack in the middle. The first player to force the other player over 99 wins the game!
This game is a perfect classroom game for you to try with your 5th graders today and it will keep their minds engaged!
7. Board Games
Board games are great for 5th graders. They don’t often play them at home anymore, so they are a perfect activity for a rainy day that will feel unique to your kids!
There are many different board games that your 5th graders will love, so it is a good idea to set up a game for each group and let them get on with it!
Some great board games that your 5th graders will love include:
Guess Who
Life
Chutes and Ladders
These are just a few great examples. You can always tailor the board games to the ability levels of those playing, too!
8. Pictionary
Pictionary suits every age group and it is a perfect game to play in the classroom. It encourages creativity and confidence and it is just plain fun!
This game is fairly straightforward to play in a classroom. To play, divide the class into two teams. Each team should select someone to draw from their team.
The artists will have 10 seconds to look at the word before they are allowed to begin drawing it.
They will then draw the image until a member of their team correctly guesses the word they are drawing. Artists are only able to use images, they are not allowed to use letters or words.
When the team members are guessing the answer, they will need to shout out the guesses.
As a moderator, you will need to listen for the correct term. The team that guesses the drawing correctly first will win a point.
After you have finished the round, you should switch the artist with another student and start the process again. At the end of the game, the team with the most points wins.
Final Thoughts
So, there we have it! The games on this list are sure to keep your 5th graders entertained for hours on end.
Not only will they have some fun in the classroom with these games, but they will also learn some essential skills that will encourage their confidence and creativity.
All of the games on the list are quick and easy to set up, making them perfect for a rainy recess. Give these games a try today if you want to bring some joy to the classroom!
Hi, my name is Helena Waters and I was a teacher for 40 years before retiring last year.
During my time as a teacher I dedicated the majority of it to making classrooms as fun as possible, with educational parties, fun activities, and low cost entertainment that made the children excited about learning.
I taught children of all ages, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, with the pandemic having uprooted everything that children once knew about school and learning, I think that the need for my ideas is bigger than ever.
That is why I created School Sparks, a place in which I can write down and share all of my ideas on how to get students excited about going to school again. I hope that you’ll find some useful within a school setting, even at home too!
