For 4-year-olds! Introducing recommended indoor activities, group games, and crafts

Ring toss

Let’s play indoors on rainy days! Ring toss game☆

It’s an easy game you can make with things you have at home, but ring toss always gets kids excited.

It’s also popular at fairs and festivals.

To make the rings, roll up long strips of newspaper into circles and wrap them all around with vinyl tape.

Using two colors or making them colorful will delight the kids.

For the targets, just fill plastic bottles with water and wrap them with colored construction paper.

You can also prepare bottles in different sizes and change the points depending on the size.

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Signaling Game

A quick pastime for spare moments: the ‘Traffic Light Game’ for older preschoolers/also great for recreation

It’s also great for a quick play during small breaks! Here’s an idea for a traffic light game.

Traffic lights are important indicators for learning traffic rules.

When crossing roads where cars and bicycles are moving, they play a crucial role in keeping yourself safe.

This time, let’s use the colors of the traffic light to play a game.

Move forward on “green,” step back on “yellow,” and stop on “red.” Through these simple rules, children can get a feel for the basic rules of “waiting” and “moving.”

Mukkuri Kuma-san

[Group Game] “Mukkuri Kuma-san” | How to Play “Mukkuri Kuma-san”

Let’s enjoy traditional nursery rhymes! Here’s an idea using “Mukkuri Kuma-san.” Warabe-uta are traditional Japanese children’s songs that are fun because adults and kids can sing and play together.

They have a good rhythm, simple lyrics and melodies, and are easy for children to remember.

For Mukkuri Kuma-san, choose one child to be the bear, and have the other children hold hands and walk in a circle around the bear.

When the song ends, the bear chases everyone.

The person tagged by the bear becomes the next bear.

pa pi pu pe po

[In Your Spare Moments!] 6 Easy Indoor Games for Kids Ages 3–5 [Preschool/Kindergarten]

The word “pa-pi-pu-pe-po” can be pretty hard for children to say.

But don’t worry.

This activity is a quiz game where you guess what word someone is saying using “pa-pi-pu-pe-po.” The adults—teachers or guardians—create the words with “pa-pi-pu-pe-po,” and the children try to guess the correct answers.

You can choose any words, but pick ones the children already know—ideally things they see in their daily lives.

For example, turn “toilet paper” (toiretto pêpâ) into “popipeppo paper,” or “dandelion” (tanpopo) into “papipopo.” Words that contain several “pa-pi-pu-pe-po” sounds might make it easier for the children to guess.

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Cat and Mouse

[You can see the childcare in action] Teacher Rio’s active play [Cat and Mouse]

Which team will win? Here’s a game idea called Cats and Mice.

What you need are designated areas for each team.

Make the most of the room so the children can move around freely and play in a spacious environment.

Split into a Cat team and a Mouse team, and play a game where you try to return to your territory without getting caught by the teacher.

It’s a fun activity that makes kids burst into laughter, with the tension of listening carefully so they don’t mishear, and the exhilarating feeling of running away! In the end, which team will have more members? Give it a try!

Marumaru Animal

[Physical Expression] Four Indoor Games That Allow Social Distancing [Nursery School/Kindergarten]

“Marumaru Animal” is a game where you become various animals using different ideas.

At first, teachers or caregivers say things like “Mr.

Rabbit” or “Mr.

Crab” and strike a pose to guide the children.

Once they get used to it, it’s fine to let a child who wants to try take the lead.

Rabbits, elephants, and monkeys are classics with easy-to-understand poses, but you can also intentionally choose animals without standard poses to spark the children’s imagination.

It’ll be fun to see what kinds of animal ideas they come up with.

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Greengrocer’s shop

No prep needed! 7 rhythm games you can do at daycare♪

The “Greengrocer’s Shop” is a fun game that’s like a mix of a rhythm game and a quiz.

The teacher sings a song and, at the end, says the name of one item at a time.

If it’s something you’d find at a greengrocer’s, the children clap to the rhythm and say “aru, aru” (“it’s there!”).

If it’s not something you’d find there, they make an X with their arms and say “nai, nai” (“not there!”).

Since quick decisions are needed, mistakes can happen, and opinions may differ.

When that happens, take a moment to pause and discuss together: “Is it there?” “Is it not?”

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