Lovely childcare

[For 4-year-olds] Ideas for group games and craft activities that can be done indoors

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.

Four-year-olds are at a stage of major growth toward independence, developing social skills as they learn to express their feelings and thoughts in words and deepen their relationships with friends.

In this article, we’ll share plenty of indoor play ideas that help promote the development of four-year-olds.

From group games that are fun while following rules with friends to creative projects that let them express themselves freely as their imaginations grow, we’ve gathered lots of activities that children can join with excitement!

Even on days when you can’t go outside, let’s spend fulfilling time with children by incorporating a variety of indoor games.

[For 4-year-olds] Indoor group play and craft activity ideas (81–90)

Sorting Game

Sorting Game with Three Colored Balls That Rapidly Boosts Reaction Skills | After-School Day Service in Morioka City

Sorting Game

Let me introduce a sorting game.

Prepare three colors of balls—red, blue, and yellow—and one red box and one blue box.

Catch the ball that the teacher throws, then put red balls into the red box and blue balls into the blue box, while avoiding (not catching) yellow balls.

By repeating these movements continuously, you can train reaction ability.

Start with slow throwing speed at first, and as you get used to it, it’s recommended to increase the speed to make it more fun.

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sensory play

Sensory play for children aged 3 to 5

sensory play

Sensory play is a recommended activity that stimulates children’s five senses.

When you put a cooling sheet in water, it swells and feels like slime.

For play with shaving cream, try putting the cream into a paper cup and mixing it, or adding color to the cream and applying it.

Doing this alongside crafts helps nurture their imagination.

For scratch art, draw a picture underneath with crayons, then layer black crayon on top and scratch it away.

It’s exciting to see the black crayon scrape off and the colors underneath appear.

It’s also great to mix water with flour or potato starch, knead it, and enjoy the gooey texture.

Using pulp clay to create shapes from one’s imagination also sounds like a lot of fun.

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Balloon Play

Balloon Play for 4-Year-Olds

Balloon Play

Balloons floating softly in the air are very safe, so kids can play with them with peace of mind.

Here are some indoor games using balloons.

The “keep it off the floor” game naturally encourages kids to cooperate, calling out to each other to keep the balloon from touching the floor and getting excited together.

In the balloon passing game, form groups of about six and split into teams.

Enjoy sending the balloon from front to back, or passing it under the knees.

The team that can pass the balloon the fastest wins.

You can also stick a strip of plastic tape across the middle of the room and enjoy balloon volleyball or soccer.

Please choose and enjoy games suited to the children’s ages.

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Boo Foo Woo Game

[Play] 5 Fun Group Games [Nursery/Kindergarten]

Boo Foo Woo Game

In this game, the caregiver assigns each child one of the names: “Boo,” “Foo,” or “Woo.” Once given a name, the child can only say that word.

At the signal, the children tell those around them their names and form groups with others who have the same name.

When everyone has gathered together, you’ve succeeded! “Foo” and “Woo” sound especially similar, so they’re easy to confuse.

Listen carefully to what your friends are saying, communicate, and decide accordingly.

When you find someone on the same team, hold hands or gather together, and make it easy for teammates who haven’t found the group yet to recognize you.

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In conclusion

We introduced recommended indoor activities that 4-year-olds can enjoy. It’s best to keep a good balance between active, full-body play and activities that encourage focused concentration, adjusting to the children’s needs and creating clear changes of pace. Group games become even more exciting when you tweak the rules to suit the children’s abilities and interests. By actively incorporating team and group activities, we hope children can experience the joy of interacting with friends through play.