Lovely childcare

Ideas for indoor play and physical activities recommended for 1-year-olds

9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

Around age one, children become much more physically active—walking, running, and greatly expanding their range of movement.

Their curiosity also blossoms, and you’ll see major developmental changes: they begin to speak, express themselves, and assert their opinions.

For teachers wondering, “What should we play today?” with these energetic one-year-olds, this is a must-read!

Here are some recommended play ideas for one-year-olds.

You’ll find plenty of options—from activities like eurhythmics and mat play that let kids move their bodies to the fullest even indoors, to imaginative role-play, sensory play that uses their fingertips, and simple crafts that spark excitement.

Find the perfect activities for your children and have fun together!

Indoor play and exercise ideas recommended for 1-year-olds (31–40)

Playing in the Spring Rain

Perfect for the rainy season! Indoor play: 'Too much fun!? Harusame (glass noodle) play'

Playing in the Spring Rain

Cool! Slippery! Prickly! Here’s a fun activity with glass noodles (harusame).

It’s a good idea to set it up with the goals of letting children explore different textures and touch familiar food ingredients.

Start by feeling the prickly, stiff noodles before cooking, then try the soft, slippery noodles after they’re boiled.

Adding colors makes it visually exciting, too! Watching the colors blend is stimulating and draws children’s interest.

It could also be fun to extend the sensory play into pretend play.

Give it a try!

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Tunnel play

Cardboard tunnel that kids can play with from age 1

Tunnel play

For indoor physical play, how about a tunnel activity? You can make a tunnel using cardboard boxes or hula hoops.

There are also toy tunnels made of mesh material available for purchase, so using one of those is fine too! If you’re making it with cardboard, it’s a good idea to add fun features like strings kids can pull from inside or small bumps and textures.

If you’re turning hula hoops into a tunnel, have a caregiver hold up about two hoops to form the tunnel.

Small tunnels encourage crawling, which helps strengthen various muscles throughout the body!

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Mukkuri Kuma-san

Mukkuri Kuma-san

Mukkuri Kuma-san

Let’s role-play and have fun! Here’s an introduction to the game “Mukkuri Kuma-san.” It’s a good idea to set the goal as enjoying interaction with teachers and guardians through play, and expressing oneself by fully taking on a role.

How to play: choose one person to be the bear, and everyone else holds hands, sings, and walks in a circle around them.

It’s a game where you call out, “Kuma-san, wake up!” to wake the bear.

Until everyone gets used to the rules, it’s best for a teacher or guardian to act as the bear.

Try incorporating it as an indoor activity on rainy days!

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In conclusion

We introduced recommended activities for 1-year-olds.

There are plenty of games they can really enjoy that get them moving a lot, even indoors.

At this age, children become more interested in various things and people, and they love using their whole bodies to play, so actively incorporate a variety of activities to stimulate their five senses more and more! Since there are large individual differences in development at this stage, please keep a close eye on them so they can fully enjoy playing, while taking ample care to ensure safety and avoid danger.