[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!
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[Childcare] Perfect for 0-year-olds! Indoor play ideas (1–10)
Newspaper: Please have some fruit.

We’d like to introduce a game called “Here, Have Some Fruit” that even 0-year-olds can enjoy.
It’s something children can help make and play with, so give it a try in your childcare setting too! You’ll need newspaper, a box with an animal face that already has a mouth opening, nonwoven fabric, and a bag for holding the balls.
It’s easy to make! First, crumple up the newspaper into balls.
Next, wrap the crumpled newspaper with the nonwoven fabric.
Put the fruit balls you’ve made into the bag, and then feed them to the animals.
You can make balls in the colors of your favorite fruits, or make a variety of fruits and enjoy pretend shopping while you play.
Tunnel play

Tunnel play is highly recommended during the crawling stage.
Try setting up a tunnel indoors using mats or cardboard! You can cut round windows into the cardboard tunnel, add streamer tape at the entrances, and incorporate other creative touches to spark children’s curiosity and boost their excitement to “try it!” Create a fun tunnel that invites exploration.
When the caregiver pops out and says “Peekaboo!” you’re sure to see adorable smiles.
Let’s stimulate their curiosity and help them move their bodies a lot, playing energetically even indoors!
sensory bag

Why not try making a DIY sensory bag and have some fun? Sensory bags are said to stimulate a baby’s sight and hearing and promote brain development, and you can easily make them with items from a 100-yen shop.
First, put an appropriate amount of different textured liquids—such as liquid laundry starch, styling gel, or baby oil—into a zip-top bag.
Next, add color to the liquid with paint, drop in beads or marbles, and seal the bag tightly with tape so nothing leaks out.
The irresistibly squishy feel is surprisingly addictive.
The sparkle of the beads and the slow, gooey movement of the liquid are fascinating, so babies around 0 years old are sure to be captivated! Give it a try.
[Childcare] Perfect Indoor Play Ideas for 0-Year-Olds (11–20)
circuit play

A circuit play activity where children can move around and have fun on a course lined with various obstacles like mats and tunnels! There’s the “Wobbly Mat,” where a mat is placed inside a hula hoop and children crawl forward over it, the “Tunnel,” where they pass through a tube-shaped fabric, and the “Soft Balance Beam,” made of gentle materials and set low to the ground so children can walk across it.
Faced with one attraction after another, children will be eager and engaged.
Another great feature of circuit play is that you can flexibly adjust the activities to suit the children’s developmental stages.
Eurhythmics play

How about trying some eurhythmics play that lets kids move their bodies energetically even indoors? Moving to music or piano is said to promote children’s sense of rhythm, concentration, expressiveness, and thinking skills.
First, the childcare teacher should cheerfully demonstrate in front of the children.
They’ll be drawn in by the teacher’s vibe and will want to imitate! For 0-year-olds, there are large individual differences in physical development, so it’s best to suggest movements and play styles suited to each child—those who are lying down, crawling, or already walking.
Let’s increase their opportunities to engage with music and stimulate all five senses!
[0-year-olds] Exploring with cardboard boxes
![[0-year-olds] Exploring with cardboard boxes](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KkJBmDvtHZ4/sddefault.jpg)
If you’re going to play with cardboard boxes with 0-year-olds, try making a little house or a playpen so they can enjoy exploratory play.
Let the children join in from the stage of sticking decorations onto the cardboard, so they can experience the fun of making things too.
If you prepare decorations in various colors and shapes, the children can enjoy the differences while they decorate.
How they play is up to them, so let’s watch over them so each child can enjoy themselves to the fullest until they’re satisfied.
Feel free to keep adapting the setup to match how the children are playing!
[Gymnastics] Animal Exercises
![[Gymnastics] Animal Exercises](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/j3gOTlbrpwo/sddefault.jpg)
“Animal Exercises” is a routine where you express various movements to match the animals that appear in the lyrics.
Babies around 0 years old will likely clap along to the music, sway their bodies, and enjoy it in their own way.
When teachers join in the exercises, you can’t help but smile as you see the children trying to imitate them in their own style.
It seems perfect to include in daily childcare as part of the routine.
Watching these adorable 0-year-olds do the exercises is sure to soothe anyone who sees them.


