This is probably the least exciting post in my classroom reveal series, but I think it is super important. As a teacher of many students who don’t have strong play skills, creating a recess or break area was a huge challenge. Finding appropriate activities and making a functional space took me years to achieve. I have since made a slight adjustment to my recess area,-more on that later.
I have these adorable signs from Especially Education hanging in this corner. I want my students to feel happy here. I want them to know they are loved. She created this poster set in response to Hurricane Harvey. The profits went to the Houston Food Bank. I loved supporting a wonderful cause and it was the perfect way to brighten up this area. She has adorable posters in her kindness kit too, available here.
This tent is one of the best purchases I have ever made. I impulsively bought it on Amazon Prime day and my students absolutely love it. Students who would never even visit my break area now love to crawl into the tent. It was affordable and super simple to put together. It does take up a bit of room, though, so keep that in mind.
In the picture above, you see a white bookcase. I ended up moving that out of the area to make room for this couch. A teacher in the school was giving it away and I snagged it. I am not sure if I would be comfortable taking a fabric couch from a yard sale, but ask around. Make sure your family, friends and neighbors know that you want an old couch for your classroom!
These collapsible chairs are also really fun. I love that they are easy to fold up and store, making them the perfect choice for a small classroom. I also like that they are lightweight. My students can easily move them to different parts of the room without my help. This makes the chair the perfect reward!
I have this storage system that I turned into a toy storage area. These are standard issued in my school and most teachers use them as student cubbies. I prefer my Trofast system for student cubbies, so I use this to store the toys. I love how easy it is to pull the drawers out. Students can grab the drawer and sit at a table if they want. I can also take the drawers out and store them away if a toy becomes off limit for a little while.
I love anything from Melissa and Doug. The toys are often wooden and very high quality. They have made it more than 3 years in my classroom, making them invaluable to me! I buy a lot off of Amazon, but I also like to search Home Goods. I can usually find a piece or 2 for a good price. Grab this train here.
Most of the items in my recess area are functional. I want their leisure time to still work in valuable skills because every moment matters. I put this peg set in my recess area, but you could absolutely make it a work task as well. Grab a peg set here. Grab the interlocking rings in the bottom left corner here. They are a fun option. We love to make patterns with them.
Of course we have cars and Legos. I’m pretty sure these are standard in an elementary classroom. If you don’t have any, here is a great basic set of cars and basic set of Legos.
These interlocking squares were given to me as a hand me down my first year. I had no idea what they were for so I did not put them out. The second year I did, and my students love them! Kids have creative minds, just give them access to the tools they need! This exact set is old, but here is a similar set that would be just as fun.
The last thing I have to share are the Target Dollar Spot felt books. Am I the only one who buys WAY too many felt books? Again, these can be used multiple ways. I put them in my recess area but they could easily be put in a work task as well.
What are your recess essentials in your special needs classroom? Leave a comment and let me know; I’m always looking to add more. Check back tomorrow for my pride and joy of a post-a look into my independent and group work center!