Lovely childcare

Perfect for Sports Day! Obstacle Course Ideas Recommended for 2-Year-Olds

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
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.

Here are some of the most popular parent-child events for two-year-olds at nursery and kindergarten sports days.

Participating together with their beloved parents makes for fun, unforgettable moments for the children! There are plenty of activities with cute, familiar themes like sushi, ice cream, and vegetables.

From being carried in arms to piggyback rides, every event values parent-child bonding and is sure to bring smiles to everyone.

All activities are designed with safety in mind, so feel free to choose ones that suit your child’s stage of development.

Simple Circuits and Movement Play (1–10)

A circuit made with pool cues

[Ages 0–5] Seven Types of Indoor Educational and Physical Play! [Nursery School/Kindergarten]

A circuit made with pool cues

Let’s play while getting creative! Here are some circuit (obstacle course) ideas you can make with pool noodles.

All you need are pool noodles and a utility knife or scissors.

Cut the long pool noodles in half and use them for the course! Place the halved pool noodles on the floor and include a tightrope-walk section where kids crawl or walk along them.

You can also roll balls along the top of the noodles, or connect them into circles to make ring shapes—great ideas to try!

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Picture-Matching Race

Children of Light Sports Day: Obstacle Race for 2-Year-Olds

Picture-Matching Race

We’d like to introduce an event where you can really feel how much the children have grown—one that will make you think, “They can do all this now!” At the start, the children jump through a row of hula hoops, cross a ladder, and slide down a slide, overcoming obstacles while moving their bodies energetically.

After that, they choose three cards from a large selection, bring them to their caregivers, and work together to assemble them like a puzzle to complete a single picture.

It’s the perfect activity for two-year-olds, whose desire to do things on their own is blossoming and whose range of abilities is rapidly expanding.

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Circuit to train the soles of the feet

Two Foot-Strengthening Activities: Foot Sole Circuit & Foot Art #Childcare #IndoorPlay

Circuit to train the soles of the feet

Sharpen your senses! Here are some circuit ideas to train the soles of the feet.

Prepare cone cushions, yarn, decorative balls, craft glue or tape, a glue gun, construction paper, cleaning sponges, and round stones.

Attach each material to the construction paper by type.

It’s also a good idea to use items found at your preschool or home, as well as recycled materials.

By feeling differences in texture and temperature with the bottoms of their feet while playing, and by walking over the materials to brace themselves and maintain balance, children can also improve their motor skills.

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Mini triathlon

Rita, age 2 – Parent-child event at the sports day

Mini triathlon

We’d like to introduce a parent-child event modeled after a triathlon.

This is a parent-child activity: first, transform into a rabbit and make a lively start by jumping! Next, jump over the big box in front of you and crawl through the tunnel made of streamer tape.

After you pass through, the guardian gives the child a piggyback ride, and once you grab the prize medal, you’re at the finish line! Feel free to customize the events leading up to the finish according to the children’s interests and attention.

For preschoolers, trying it solo is also recommended.

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Balance Ball Circuit

7 Balance Ball Exercises Parents and Kids Can Do Together

Balance Ball Circuit

Here are some ideas for a circuit using a balance ball.

All you need to prepare is a balance ball.

Many people may think of it as something adults use for rehabilitation or training, but there are plenty of fun ways to play with a balance ball, so I highly recommend it! Of course, it’s great for practicing balance and strengthening the core, but you can also incorporate activities suited to each child’s stage of development—like crawling under a springy, bouncy balance ball or clinging to it tightly and using their whole body.

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