No prep needed! Indoor activities for 3-year-olds, including movement play and group games.

Shape Finding Game

Let’s develop discovery skills, imagination, and expressive ability! Here’s an idea for a shape-finding game.

It’s a simple yet effective game where you look for shapes in everyday life.

Start with basic shapes like circles, triangles, and squares, and once you get used to it, raise the difficulty with stars, diamonds, pentagons, and more.

This will broaden interest and make the game more fun.

Plus, drawing the shapes you find on paper helps cultivate expressive skills and creativity, which is a great bonus.

It’s a playful way to deepen shape recognition and boost the power of discovery!

Newspaper play

[During the rainy season] Recommended indoor activities for 3-year-olds (kindergarten/daycare)

Playing with newspaper is perfect for indoor play with three-year-olds.

They can enjoy the crinkly texture and sounds, tear it up with gusto, roll it into balls and throw them—there are so many ways to play.

Follow the children’s ideas and interests and keep expanding the play together.

Because they use their hands a lot, it’s also great for developing fine motor skills.

After playing, you can gather the torn pieces into a big bag to make a ball, or try making teru-teru bozu (little weather dolls) or fish—it’s lots of fun too.

Ninja Game

[Exercise & Gymnastics for Kids] Recommended Rule-Based Game for 4- and 5-Year-Olds: 'Ninja Play' / Rule-based active games, exercises, and gymnastics educational videos to improve motor skills together with Mom

This is a “Ninja Game,” a pretend-play activity kids love that also gets them moving, and it can be played indoors.

As ninjas, the children move while staying hidden: they follow closely behind the leading adult, circling around the spot.

When the adult turns around and says, “Who’s there?” the children must quickly crouch down to hide.

And when you think of ninjas, you think of shuriken.

The adult pretends to throw shuriken at the children’s heads and feet, and they try to dodge them: crouch if it’s aimed at the head, and jump if it’s aimed at the feet.

It’s a super exciting game that even younger preschoolers can enjoy.

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utatane

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Sledding

Let's play with towels! Age-based sled play #physicalplay #childcare

Here’s a sledding-style activity using everyday towels.

Prepare two towels, each large enough for one child to sit or stand on.

Have the child ride on one towel, and hold the other towel in their hands while the teacher pulls, moving as if it were a sled.

If the towel is tied once and the child holds the tied section, it’s easier to grip even with weaker hand strength.

Balance is key during this sled play.

Whether the child stands or sits should be chosen based on their developmental stage, prioritizing the safer option.

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mayumi

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Sinking Game

[For Childcare Workers] Teacher Rio’s Active Play That Gets Kids Excited [The 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!

Color Search Game

[Color Hunt Game!!] Let's Play at Home with the Kids!!

Let’s look for what colors are hiding around the room! Here are some ideas for a color-finding game.

This activity is appealing thanks to its simple and easy-to-understand rules.

Just color some paper with markers, put the pieces into a paper cup, and you’re ready to play! It feels exciting, like drawing lots.

As you play, it helps improve color recognition, making it a fun and educational activity.

Once you get used to the game, try drawing two pieces of paper and combining the two colors—that sounds fun too.

Give it a try!

English game

[English Games from Age 2] By popular demand: encore requests keep coming! An English game that’s a big hit both for home learning and classroom play! You only need three words.

Let’s play using three words! Here are some ideas for English games.

By engaging with English through play, children can deepen their understanding of different cultures and values and broaden their global perspectives.

This time, let’s try playing using three words.

The words are “clap,” “tap,” and “catch,” so it’s a good idea to explain the actions and rules before starting the game.

Helping children feel close to English from an early age can become a great strength in their future lives.