[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 (21–30)
Playing with plastic raffia (Suzuran tape)
Let’s adapt the ways we play to suit children’s development! Here are some ideas for playing with suzuran tape.
Suzuran tape is a thin plastic tape known for its colorful appearance.
Because the material is light and flexible, you can cut it with scissors, tie it, or weave it, allowing for all kinds of creative variations and uses in different games.
This time, let’s try making a suzuran tape curtain, a suzuran tape “bath,” and suzuran tape pom-poms.
It sounds like these activities will spark excitement and fun.
sensory toy play
Fun for all ages! Here are some sensory toy play ideas.
You’ll need: food storage bags, colored water, oil, adzuki beans, erasers, toy goldfish, beads, bells, hair gel, and tape.
Put the materials you prepared into the bag along with the hair gel! Changing up the colors and textures makes the feel different and more interesting.
Sensory toys are recommended not only for infants but also for preschoolers—they’re engaging to look at and touch, and kids will be totally absorbed.
Newspaper play
Endless ways to play! Try all kinds of activities using newspaper.
Enjoy the crinkly texture and sound, tear it up with a satisfying rip, or crumple it into a ball and toss it—newspaper is perfect for indoor play with countless possibilities.
Because kids use their hands a lot, it’s also great for developing fine motor skills.
Flexibly follow children’s free ideas and interests, and keep expanding the play together.
When you’re done, gather the torn pieces into a big bag to make a ball, or try crafting teru-teru bozu (little weather charms) or fish—it’s lots of fun, too.
Sparkle-pop
Bursting into smiles! Here are some sparkling ideas from Kirakira-pon.
Many teachers may be unsure about parent–child events for infants under one year old.
How about making “parent–child bonding” the theme this time? Swaying gently to music and rhythms, and spending time in close contact can create a sense of comfort for both caregivers and children.
Since this will be the first sports day for these zero-year-old children, set the goal to encourage cheerful participation in a bright, enjoyable atmosphere.
pretend play
Let’s try pretend play with raffia (suzuran) tape.
You can cut longer strands and let them fall from above to mimic rain, or put them in a basin for bath-time pretend play…
Through various kinds of everyday-themed pretend play, it would be great for 0-year-olds to discover, “Oh, you can play like this!” We also recommend turning the cleanup into part of the game by collecting the raffia tape afterward as a tidying-up pretend play.
Gathering the scattered tape and putting it into a bag is plenty of fun as play in itself.
Sensory play with zipper bags
Put shredded cellophane ribbon into a zip bag and enjoy a sensory play activity.
Using ribbons in various colors turns it into a toy that also provides visual stimulation.
Cut several strands of cellophane ribbon to a suitable length, then shred them finely with your fingers and place them in the zip bag.
Once you’ve added a good amount, seal the bag.
To prevent accidental ingestion, make sure to close it securely with strong tape or something similarly sturdy.
Your crinkly, tactile toy is ready to play with!
Wind Play
Why not make the most of the fluttery qualities of Suzuranteipu (plastic raffia tape) and introduce play that lets children feel the wind? Try attaching several cut strips of the tape to cardboard or hanging them at a height kids can reach… Creating setups that make them wonder, “What is this?” can spark their curiosity.
Let’s watch over them so they can keep enjoying themselves—pulling and swaying the strips—as much as they like.
Using a handheld fan to create a breeze is also recommended.
Please try out various ideas and arrangements.