Lovely childcare

Ideas for indoor play, physical activities, and games suited to the development of 2-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.

Around the age of two, children’s vocabularies grow and they begin to assert their feelings more strongly.

As their walking stabilizes, they’re also able to perform a variety of whole-body movements.

Here, we’ll introduce recommended indoor activities that suit the physical and mental development of two-year-olds.

From active, full-body movement games to group games that involve playing with friends, and activities that let children freely express themselves—there are plenty of options that give kids a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from “I did it by myself!”

Use these ideas as a reference and enjoy a fun time together indoors.

Ideas for indoor play, physical activity, and games suited to the development of 2-year-olds (41–50)

Moguradon’snursery rhyme

November nursery rhyme “Mogura-don”

Moguradon’s Nursery Rhyme

Let me introduce a mole-themed nursery rhyme game that friends or parents and children can enjoy together.

Everyone forms a circle and holds hands.

One person sits in the center as the mole.

When everyone calls out, “Mole, wake up!” the mole answers, “Okay!” and wakes up.

At the same moment, the people around should try to run away so they don’t get caught by the mole.

The mole chases and tags someone.

Next, the person who was tagged switches roles and becomes the mole.

You can make it even more fun by discussing and changing the lines you say during the game.

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Jungle GuruguruTsubasa Suzuki

[Full-body Play / Pair Play] Jungle Guruguru / Tsubasa Suzuki & Hitomi Kudo [Action Song / Animals / Touch-and-Play / Parent-Child / Childcare / Kindergarten / Parenting / Children’s Song]

Jungle Guruguru Tsubasa Suzuki

Let me introduce Jungle Guruguru, a game where you can enjoy moving your whole body to a lively musical tempo.

You’ll enter the jungle while moving your body to the song.

Snakes, rhinos, tunnels, and more appear, so the children work together, using their bodies to get past each challenge.

In pairs, they can hold hands and spin around, and of course, it’s also a body-movement game that one person can fully enjoy on their own.

It’s the kind of play that will get everyone excited just by copying the teacher or friends.

At the end, you make it out of the jungle and finish with a high five! Be sure to have fun and get your body moving.

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Copycat game

Let's try it with the teacher! Copycat Game♪

Copycat game

Let’s have fun with body mimicry! Here are some ideas for a copycat game that’s sure to make everyone smile.

While copying the teacher’s movements, strike unique poses like animals or heroes and play together.

You’ll find yourselves laughing and saying, “What is this?!” as you move your bodies.

While playing, kids build flexibility and balance, and the best part is learning through fun—“Can you really do this pose?” You might even discover some unexpected moves!

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In conclusion

We introduced ideas for indoor activities and group games recommended for two-year-olds. Two-year-olds often struggle between wanting to “do it myself!” and feeling frustrated when things don’t go as they hope, which can lead to tears or clashes with friends. This, too, is part of their developmental stage, so let’s acknowledge their feelings and strive to provide individualized consideration and support that helps them gain a sense of accomplishment and confidence. By actively incorporating a variety of play, we hope children come to feel that “it’s fun to be with friends!”