Lovely childcare

For 3-Year-Olds! Indoor & Outdoor Physical Play and Game Ideas

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.

At age three, children grow significantly in both body and mind, and their physical abilities and vocabulary increase.

During this stage, they can understand simple rules, which broadens the kinds of play they can enjoy.

Here, we’ve gathered fun movement activities and games that three-year-olds can do indoors and outdoors.

By moving their bodies together with friends and enjoying social interaction, they also learn the importance of following rules.

We’ve selected enjoyable activities that will make children think, “I want to try that!” So get creative and have fun playing together with everyone!

For 3-year-olds! Indoor and outdoor physical play and game ideas (71–80)

Tail tag game

Physical activity play to improve children's motor skills: 1-2. Tail Tag

Tail tag game

‘Tail Tag’ is a game where you tuck a string, acting as a tail, into the back of your pants and try to snatch each other’s tails.

If you make it a team competition, it can get pretty heated.

The thrill comes from the tension: if you keep running away you can’t grab any tails, but if you move in to take one, another kid might snatch yours!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

In conclusion

We introduced recommended physical play activities for three-year-olds that can be enjoyed indoors and outdoors.

Some children find it hard to grasp the rules just from verbal explanations, so showing a model or explaining the rules while actually playing makes it easier for them to picture.

Let’s create an atmosphere in group play where children can feel, “It’s fun when I’m with friends and teachers!” It would be great if they could move their bodies to the fullest and play energetically both indoors and outdoors.