If you're one of the lucky few who go to a school with a large campus, you probably have tons of options for recreation – playgrounds, football fields, basketball courts, maybe even a swimming pool. Many other students, however, have to cope with a small campus thanks to overpopulated city life. This is often temporary, but here are some ideas to make the most of it. 

If the main problem is the lack of a field or playground, there is no solution except to work your way around it. Maybe you can't play football properly without a field, but basketball and cricket practice may be slightly easier. If your school is located in an apartment building, it may have some space to spare in the garage. This will probably be used during assembly but why not fit a basketball hoop on the wall for some practice shots at other times? Cricket, with some makeshift stumps may be possible as well. Just be careful about surrounding windows, don't use a wooden ball. While my school has a large permanent campus in Satarkul right now, not all the facilities are complete yet. We resort to an area in the underground parking for basketball practice for now, and it works out just fine. 

Don't let lack of space stop you from trying out other games. Request your school to spare you a room that can be turned into a game room. It doesn't have to be all that big, you just need to use the space smartly. The must-have in this game room is a table tennis table. It doesn't take up too much space and it ensures some exercise. It's something most students are likely to enjoy as well. You could even suggest a pool table, which should easily fit in the same room. 

Now that we have the more space-consuming ideas out of the way - let's focus on some easier ones. Stack the common room with board games such as Scrabble or Pictionary. Your school authority should like this idea because of the educational benefits. Card games, especially UNO will prove very useful, since a large number of students can play at once. This somewhat solves the problem of too many students getting bored in free periods or P.E. class. Don't forget chess, and snakes and ladders. Here's another idea for effective space usage – hang a dart board on one side of the wall. Learn to improve your aim and challenge your friends. 

You probably can't play actual football or basketball games, but don't cross out the idea of tournaments off your list just yet. If your school's willing, you can consider holding intra-school tournaments at a separate venue, such as Gulshan Youth Club, but if this isn't possible – turn back to table tennis. All you'll need is that game room for an effective table tennis tournament for the whole school!

Be creative and don't let space be a restriction, and you'll find waking up for school isn't all that annoying anymore. 

Salma Mohammad Ali fears she is becoming a crazy cat lady and uses writing as a means to grasp on to sanity. Send her your views/hate/love at fb.com/salma.ali209