Despite the documented role of physical activity (PA) in the overall health and links to academic achievement for young children, students' recess time has decreased nationally over the last several decades. Accordingly, teacher education programs largely overlook the importance of PA and related pedagogy, including oversight of recess by academic core teachers. Given these current trends in education, relatively little scholarship has examined the proper promotion and provision of PA-based play during such free time for young students. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of teacher education students participating in an experiential learning environment designed to support active play opportunities for children. Participants (N = 43) completed a 5-hour recess assistance volunteer activity, thereby leading active play, and were then asked to write about their experiences. Student journal reflections were examined by researchers and coded in three phases: open, axial, and selective coding. Findings indicated student teachers perceived three educational and professional development needs to successfully facilitate active play opportunities as future teachers: pedagogical experiences, content-based experiences, and relationship building.