Any ideas for indoor recess?

Board games.  On rainy days, my first graders were allowed to bring a board game that they knew how to play. (so they could explain it to others)  A note was sent home at the beginning of the year explaining to parents that the game should be played in a short amount of time (20 min. or less) so Monopoly was not an option.  The children loved indoor recess and playing the games.  Sportsmanship was always rewarded by the teacher (stickers etc) so the students learned that the fun is not always in being the winner.  

When I was in grade school, I used to love to play heads-up, heads-down. The children will love this! It is a fun game to play and it lets them burn off a little energy! You may be able to put your own little twist on the game and make it to where the children have to answer a question correctly in order to try and guess who picked them. The hard part is getting the children to settle back down and get refocsed on class.

Legos...my little tinkerers love 'em, especially those trendy movie-theme sets. (they bring their own) My girls seem to enjoy the Toobz of Jamestown settlers and Powhatan Indians that I picked up on impulse. They create their own storylines for them.

many like drawing on printer paper, esp. w/MARKERS

Gosh, we don't have recess except at lunch.  If they have to stay in then, I guess I would read to them.  They love the stories I read.  They are from my childhood and are wonderful.  Boxcar Children, Dangerous Island, David and the Phoenix, Winds of Time,...

I think kids need their recess time to unwind and not feel so overwhelmed. Board games would be a great option. Also maybe have an art center where they can express their selves creatively on those rainy days. Have a section with a variety of books and let children take turns doing these things. I think they would enjoy it

Um...when I was in school and now The Magic School bus always worked well and reading rainbow movies. They are a little outdated but very effective.

We have leveled intervention for reading, we have 45 minute specials four times a week, 40 minute lunches, I am required to teach Language 4 hours a day.  When would I take time out to have recess?  We do have breaks when we change classes.  We also have a specific bathroom/drink break.  For a 15 minute recess, it takes up to 25 minutes of time.  Our district won't allow us to use that kind of time on a recess when there is so much learning to do.  Kind of sad, huh?

Board games and heads-up-7-up are both great ideas for indoor recess! Another good idea from my perspective is the game 'Silent ball'. The way that we play silent ball is that the kids are in a circle inside the classroom; silent ball is simply  a basic game of catch. The students have to throw the ball to someone different then who threw to them. They are not to talk or make noise during this game. If they talk then they are out. If the ball is thrown and the person that it is thrown to does not catch it or catches it and then drops it they are out. If the ball is thrown and it is thrown to high or low or past the other person then the one that threw it is out. This game is quiet and allows the students to move around without distracting the other classrooms around you.

Silent speedball is a game our class loves to play on rainy days. Each student  sits on their desk.  We use a beach ball or a squishy ball.  The players must throw it underhand to other students, but not to those beside them.  While throwing it, every player is to be silent.  A player is out if they drop a throw, if their throw hits the ground w/o touching another player, if they dodge a throw, or if they talk or make sounds while the ball is in play.  You win by being the last player still on your desk.  The students love to throw the ball quickly and make changes to the rules like going boy-girl or making players use only one hand.