Fun with no prep needed! Indoor activities perfect for 1-year-old classes
Children in the one-year-old class are starting to walk, learning to jump, and becoming more and more active.
Even when you suddenly have to switch to indoor play, you’ll want to make sure they can still move their bodies a lot.
Sometimes the weather or staff scheduling forces an unexpected change to indoor play, leaving you unprepared or unsure what activities to do.
For teachers in that situation, here are indoor activities you can do even without any preparation.
We’ve gathered ideas that are perfect for one-year-olds, so please try incorporating them.
Let’s spend a fun time with the children through a variety of activities.
- For 1-year-olds! Indoor play ideas that make rainy days fun
- Ideas for indoor play and physical activities recommended for 1-year-olds
- Let’s play at home with a one-year-old! Activity ideas using things you already have at home
- [Childcare] Full of energy! Indoor activity ideas to get kids moving
- [For 0-year-olds] Fun indoor play ideas using raffia tape (suzuran tape)
- [Childcare] Perfect Indoor Play Ideas for 0-Year-Olds!
- [Childcare / Physical Play] Fun Activities to Get Moving
- Recommended for 1-year-olds! Craft play ideas and fun crafting techniques
- No prep needed! Indoor play and game ideas that 2-year-olds will enjoy
- Get excited! A list of popular and fun hand games that captivate children
- [Childcare] DIY Ideas for Circuit Play
- [For 2-year-olds] Let’s get moving! A collection of ideas for physical play and movement games
- [For 1-year-olds] Fun Together! Recommended Songs and Hand Play Collection
No prep needed! Top indoor activities recommended for 1-year-old classes (1–10)
Sticker play
Sticker play is probably incorporated into various activities even for one-year-olds.
With round stickers and colored pens, you can whip up a quick sticker activity.
You can draw circles to indicate where to place the stickers, or draw illustrations and have children place stickers on top to express ideas—there are lots of ways to do it.
Since stickers can be a choking hazard, choose larger ones and make sure not to take your eyes off children while they’re sticking them.
Even though it’s a quick activity, it can turn into a wonderful piece of work, so be sure to send it home for caregivers to enjoy.
Let’s play with the pool cue!
This time, we’re introducing indoor play using pool noodles.
It’s a good idea to set goals that encourage free, imaginative play and activities that use fine motor skills.
The first play idea is tunnel play or hurdle play.
For tunnel play, attach 2-liter weighted plastic bottles to both ends of a pool noodle to adjust the height.
The second idea is a ball-drop game.
Put decorative pom-poms into the holes of pool noodles that have been sliced into rings.
Threading the sliced pool noodle rings onto a string to move them around also looks fun! When playing, be sure that a parent or teacher is always nearby to supervise.
circuit play
Even on days when you can’t go outside, circuit play is a fun indoor option! By connecting various items to create a course like a circuit, children can use their whole bodies and keep playing without getting bored.
If you want an easy setup, you can link towels or handkerchiefs together, or use crepe paper tape.
Another benefit is how easy it is to adjust the difficulty level to match children’s ages and developmental stages.
Play Without Preparation! Recommended Indoor Activities for 1-Year-Old Classes (11–20)
Playing with plastic raffia (Suzuran tape)
Suzuran tape is a charming item that even young children can play with safely.
In particular, children aged 0–2, who are sensitive to sound, may find the rustling of the tape especially appealing.
Experiencing play with Suzuran tape can stimulate their sensory curiosity and support their development.
The activity we’re introducing here uses Suzuran tape in your favorite colors to make pom-poms; then use your hands or a hairbrush to shred the tape.
Pretend the finished pom-poms are a bath or a pond and play with them.
It also sounds fun to hang lots of Suzuran tape to create an aquarium and let fish “swim.” The great thing about Suzuran tape is that there are so many ways to play with it!
Playing with the sheets
Let me introduce a sheet game you can play right away with no preparation—just a sheet! All you need to do is have two teachers hold the ends of the sheet and move it up and down.
It’s easy to set up and can entertain several children at once! When you move the sheet up and down, the breeze wraps around the children.
You can also create variety—and even more excitement—by stopping the sheet’s movement for a moment, draping it over the children and then lifting it quickly, or adding other irregular motions.
Janjan GuruguruTsubasa Suzuki · Hitomi Kudo
Let’s have fun with various movements to a bright, tropical-sounding song.
Although the activity involves pairing up and holding hands, one-year-olds can’t yet control their strength and it could lead to unexpected accidents, so let’s have them enjoy it individually.
Teachers, please demonstrate the movements as a model for the children.
It’s a lively activity that will have the kids cheering.
Once they get used to it, adding your own original elements is recommended.
It also provides a full-body workout, so why not try it on days when outdoor activities aren’t possible?
Let’s become various animals!
Animal role-play is a recommended activity that lets even one-year-olds move their bodies a lot.
If they pretend to be frogs, they can imitate hopping around, and if they pretend to be rabbits, they’ll put their hands up like ears and do cute little jumps.
It’s heartwarming to see children use their bodies to express the image of each animal.
It’s great that no preparation is needed, and another nice point is that this play lets you see a wide range of expressions on the children’s faces.