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[Childcare] Perfect Indoor Play Ideas for 0-Year-Olds!
Infants are curious about all kinds of things—they love to take their time observing, and when something catches their eye, they move their bodies to explore places and objects.
Because this is a time when they encounter new things every day, we want them to enjoy a variety of play activities!
Indoor play, in particular, happens in limited spaces, so it often requires creative ideas and little setups—which can make it hard to come up with activities.
For that reason, we’ve gathered lots of indoor play ideas for infants to support teachers like you.
Just imagine the smiles of the children in your class, and even the preparation will feel exciting.
Take it slow indoors and enjoy a wonderful time with the children!
[Childcare] Perfect for 0-year-olds! Indoor play ideas (1–10)
sensory play
How about enjoying a unique sensory play activity that sparks children’s curiosity? This one uses “moon sand,” a sandy clay made from flour and baby oil.
It feels powdery, but when you squeeze it tightly, it holds together and keeps its shape—such a fascinating quality! Kids can enjoy touching it directly, stirring it with a spoon, kneading and squishing it, or simply watching it trickle through their fingers.
Adding bright colors can make the play even more engaging! Prepare plates, molds, bags, and other items, and have fun combining them in different ways!
Balloon play
Here are some play ideas using round, fluffy balloons.
They’re light and soft, so even if they bump into you it doesn’t hurt, making them safe and enjoyable even for infants.
Fill the room with colorful balloons and enjoy watching them float and bounce, or wrap and stick vinyl tape around a balloon to make it like a ball—also lots of fun! You can also attach a plastic string and hang balloons from the ceiling for kids to touch, pack lots of balloons into a vacuum storage bag to make a balloon mat, and more—the possibilities are endless depending on your ideas.
Be sure to explore different ways to play together with the children and have fun!
PET bottle play
Here’s a recommended activity for infants using a plastic bottle.
You’ll need a plastic bottle, beads, and colored water.
It’s easy to make: put the beads into the bottle and play.
Just shaking it in front of your child will make them happy, and rolling it around is fun too.
If you add colored water to the bottle with beads, it will be like a snow globe, with glittering beads floating down—sure to be a hit.
Try experimenting with different contents in the bottle and enjoy playing!
Playing in the Spring Rain
Here’s a sensory play activity perfect for touch-loving 0-year-olds! Believe it or not, we’ll use glass noodles (harusame).
Please have an adult handle the preparation.
You’ll need: glass noodles, food coloring, and paper plates.
First, boil the noodles and tint them with food coloring.
Kids will be delighted if you use colors they love, like pink or blue.
Once the colored noodles are completely cooled, place them on paper plates and let the children explore by touching them.
Some children may try to eat them right away, so make sure an adult is watching closely.
Playing with bedsheets
Here’s a sheet play activity that 0-year-olds can enjoy! All you need is a single bedsheet.
It’s very simple: have the child sit down and gently move the sheet up and down to the rhythm of a song.
In spring, try songs about the wind; in summer, songs about the sea; in autumn, songs that match falling leaves; and in winter, songs about snow.
Seasonal songs enhance the mood and delight the children.
It’s also great to pair with a picture book story for extra excitement.
This activity works with one child or in a group, so give it a try in childcare settings as well.
material play
How about some material play using a variety of items? Things that are familiar to adults are all new and intriguing to babies.
Since you can use easily prepared items like raffia tape, aluminum foil, and bubble wrap, it’s great for daycares and easy to try at home too.
Babies explore in many ways—touching the materials to enjoy their textures, gripping them tightly, crumpling them to make sounds—and each child plays differently.
They might even discover a favorite material! Be sure to choose safe materials and play together, as small pieces or easily torn items can pose a choking hazard.
ring play
Let’s play using rings like the ones used for ring toss! You can play in a ring-toss style by throwing rings onto targets, or simply use the rings on their own for a variety of fun activities.
Even if the 0-year-old children don’t touch the rings directly, it can be enjoyable for the teacher to spin the rings and show them, or to demonstrate how ring toss works.
If you have large rings like hula hoops, it might be nice to have the children crawl into the ring, or crawl through it like a tunnel.
