Back to Homeschool: Planning Recess

You have the learning materials ready, corresponding field trips planned out, and have turned your home into a classroom. Everything is perfect. But what about recess? For homeschoolers, back to school time means planning many things. But how do you fit in recess without having a fully stocked gym on hand? For me, it was all about figuring out which types of physical activities worked well with only one to five people.

Make a list of activities appropriate for the number of people in your family. Talk about activities that will work for the number of people in your family. Some easily adjustable activities include volleyball, bike riding, basketball, relay races, jogging or running, dancing, yoga, hiking, and swimming. Have everyone make suggestions and make a list of the ones that can be adjusted (if necessary) for the number of people you have. Be fair and take at least one suggestion from each family member to avoid arguments and keep things fair.

Discuss favorites from your list. Now that you have a list, figure out what everyone's favorites are and narrow it down to a comfortable number for scheduling purposes. I find it helpful to take votes until the activities are narrowed down comfortably enough to not be overwhelming. If no one can agree via voting, stick a small folded note for each activity in a basket or jar and randomly draw them until you have enough. To make it fair, the basket or jar can be passed around so each person can draw something until enough activities have been fulfilled. Because we have a large family, I find drawing activities to be the most effective at keeping things equal for everyone.

Make a schedule that fits all those activities. Now that you have your activities worked out, you need to figure out when to do them all. We like to rotate our favorites throughout the week so that we are never doing the same activity two days in a row. Typically, our school day would always start with yoga or Pilates. But recess time could be anything from basketball, to hiking the trails, or even dancing around the house. As long as the schedule includes doing some type of physical activity every day, that's a good thing. If one or more family members plays on a sports team or has other classes involving physical activity, those may need to go on the schedule. Consider the times they occur and where it would need to be allowed.

Keep a 'free day' where people can do solo activities. A free day where each person can do their own thing (within reason) for recess helps keep things fair. This makes up for the fact that there may be some activities that not everyone in the family wants to do. This way, one child could shoot hoops while another jump ropes and you do your power yoga. Sometimes, even on free days, we may choose to do something together, such as take an extra hike along the trails. The free day should simply be used however everyone agrees on said day.

Alternatively, invest in a family gym membership. If you just cannot keep it together or get everyone to agree on things, consider joining the gym as a family. Many gyms now offer classes for all ages. This means your kids could be exercising by doing the latest hip-hop dance while you attend an advanced yoga class. Younger kids could be doing beginner yoga or tumbling or babies can attend parent and baby stretch or yoga classes. There are likely classes you could all take together as well.

More from Lyn:

Stocking Activity Bins for Physical Education or Gym

Gym Class Ideas for Homeschooling Families

Back to Homeschool: The Benefits of Holding Class Outside