![[For 2-year-olds] Let’s get moving! A collection of ideas for physical play and movement games](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/Iu5LN4F8U_Y/maxresdefault.webp)
[For 2-year-olds] Let’s get moving! A collection of ideas for physical play and movement games
By the time children are around two years old, they can do a variety of movements and their play becomes more dynamic.
Are there any teachers who want their children to play a lot but are struggling with a limited repertoire of activities?
It would be wonderful if teachers could promote children’s development by playing together with them as they grow each day.
With that in mind, we’ve gathered recommended physical activities and games for two-year-olds.
We’ve included ideas that don’t require equipment and ones you can do indoors, so please use them as a reference.
[For 2-year-olds] Let’s get moving! A collection of exercise play and game ideas (1–10)
Ball fishing
https://www.tiktok.com/@yuka_asobi28/video/7460108169914764551Here’s a ball-fishing game that helps build both concentration and body awareness.
Wrap transparent tape around the tip of a pool noodle with the sticky side facing outward.
Use the sticky tip to pick up scattered colored balls one by one.
It can be fun to set a time limit and see who can collect the most balls the fastest.
If the pool noodle is too long, cut it to match the child’s height to make it easier to use.
Give it a try!
Mukkuri Kuma-san
Here’s a game called “Mukkuri Kuma-san” that both kids and teachers can enjoy together.
The rules are very simple: the teacher plays the bear and pretends to sleep.
The children sing as they quietly approach the sleeping bear.
When the song ends, the bear wakes up and jumps to their feet, and the children run away.
The teacher playing the bear chases the children.
The child who gets caught becomes the next bear.
For children who don’t understand the rules, it may help to teach them slowly and carefully while demonstrating each step.
Train play
“Train play” is one of kids’ favorite activities.
Try playing with a rope made into a circle or using hula hoops.
If you’re in a large space, drawing tracks on the floor adds to the atmosphere and makes the children happy.
It’s also fun to walk to music.
Train play works not only as an everyday game but also when you want toddlers in their “no” phase to move happily.
When they resist going to the bathroom or taking a bath, saying “Shall we go like a train?” often gets them to come along cheerfully.
Sinking Game
Recommended when you want to be active and play indoors! Here are some ideas for a “Sinking Game.” The Sinking Game is a fun activity that gets everyone excited while enjoying communication.
Pretend the room is the ocean and create islands using mats and vaulting boxes.
Teachers or guardians play the role of sharks, and the unique rule is that the children run away so they don’t get caught by the sharks! As they play, children can develop listening and decision-making skills, so be sure to incorporate it into your activities!
mat exercises
We’d like to introduce fun mat exercises that get kids moving using a mat.
Lie on the mat, stretch out your arms and legs, bring your hands together and reach forward as you roll.
By rolling across the mat under your own power, you practice moving while maintaining full-body balance.
The hands-and-knees (all-fours) movement involves supporting posture while moving arms and legs alternately, making it perfect for engaging the whole body.
If that’s difficult, starting with simpler movements like crawling might be a good idea.
For safety, let’s have multiple teachers supervise while the children enjoy these activities.
Jungle GuruguruTsubasa 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.
Moguradon’snursery 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.