School
Recess choice board
Six things to choose from at recess, which can make it easier to decide. Print it as a free PDF or edit it in Áigi Plan.
What’s included
- The heading "At break time I want to"
- Six choices: swing, play football, skipping rope, sandpit, climb, play together
The choice board is a landscape A4 with large pictures to point at. The person using the board points at what they want to do. In Áigi Plan the template is called Choosing at break time.
When the template fits
Recess can be hard to get started with if it is not clear what to do, and an open question like “what do you want to do?” can be hard to answer. The recess choice board shows six things to choose from, as pictures to point at. The template fits in the classroom before pupils go out, and for someone who finds it hard to join a game. It can also show that it is possible to play together. More on choice boards and other forms of visual support in our guide to visual supports.
Make the template your own
Swap the choices for what your playground has. You swap symbols for others from the library or for photos of the swings, the climbing frame and the pitch. Print on A4 or save as a PDF, and put the board up by the door outside.
How to use it
- Put the board up where pupils gather before going out.
- Let the choice be made by pointing at a picture.
- Take the choice outside: an adult can remind by showing the picture.
- Change the choices with the season, for example sledging in winter.
Tips
- Choose before recess, not once it has started.
- Fewer choices can make it easier to decide.
- Remove a choice that is not possible that day, for example when it rains.
See also the after-school visual schedule, the school day visual schedule and all templates.