[Childcare] August activities: sensory play to enjoy summer, crafts, songs, and hand play (fingerplay), etc.
August is so hot that it’s hard to play outside.
But there are plenty of games you can enjoy indoors! In addition to water play—synonymous with summer—why not try activities that get everyone excited? There are games that let you enjoy cool, refreshing textures, as well as hand games and dances inspired by summer traditions.
Activities that capture the atmosphere of summer festivals or test-of-courage events are also recommended.
There are so many games kids can enjoy, so try a variety and make fun summer memories!
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[Childcare] August Activities: Sensory play to enjoy summer, crafts, songs, and hand games (11–20)
Paper Theater
July brings the heat and plenty of chances to play with water, doesn’t it? In this paper theater, river fish and cute familiar animals make an appearance.
Perform it while shaking and flipping the papers to the song, watching the children’s reactions and having fun together.
A key point is building excitement by wondering what will appear when you turn the next page.
Since it’s July, it’s also a great idea to prepare drawings of sea creatures.
Try mixing in a quiz—Where does this creature live?—and enjoy it together!
Fireworks made from scrap stamping
Let me introduce a super fun stamping firework craft using recycled materials.
Get a toilet paper roll, paint, and aluminum foil ready, and let’s make it! Use scissors to cut thin vertical slits into one end of the toilet paper roll, then flare the strips outward.
Squeeze some paint onto the aluminum foil, and dab the cut end of the roll into the paint.
Stamp it onto construction paper to create beautiful fireworks.
Layering a few colors can make the fireworks even more striking.
Stamping on black construction paper is recommended!
fluffy shaved ice
Let me introduce fluffy shaved ice that looks delicious, too.
Put cotton and food coloring into a bag and mix them to dye the cotton.
It might be fun to imagine what flavor you’re making as you go.
Stick double-sided tape onto the shaved-ice base you made, then attach the cotton.
The key is to layer it on loosely to create a fluffy, voluminous look.
Dissolve paint and glue in water to mimic condensed milk, and drizzle it over the shaved ice.
Your tasty-looking shaved ice is complete!
Easy origami morning glory
Let’s make morning glories—one of the quintessential symbols of summer—using origami.
First, draw a circle on blue origami paper for the flower base and cut it out with scissors.
Next, take white origami paper for the inner pattern, fold it into a triangle twice, then unfold it once.
Fold the left and right corners diagonally inward so they overlap.
Draw a V-shaped cutting line, cut along it with scissors, open it up, and attach it to the circular base.
From there, you can trim the edge of the base to form petals, or make a single slit and overlap the edges before gluing to create a three-dimensional morning glory.
Make some leaves as well, and be sure to display your work on the wall!
Paper plate turtle
Here’s how to make a paper-plate turtle that swims smoothly through the sea.
Get crayons, a paper plate, raffia tape, and scissors ready.
Color the paper plate with a green crayon.
Make slits around the edge of the plate, then weave the raffia tape through the slits to create the turtle’s shell pattern.
Attach the turtle’s legs and head, made from construction paper, to the plate, and you’re done! Mount it on a construction-paper background, draw sea creatures, and create a summery July wall display! By changing the color of the raffia tape for the shell, you can make your own original shell design!
Ice play
A great indoor activity for summer is “ice play”! Just touching ice is fun and cooling enough, but if you have time, try adding a little twist.
When you freeze water, place leaves, flowers, or small toys in it as well.
That way, children won’t just touch the ice—they’ll also think about how to melt it and get the items out as they play.
Be sure to choose objects that are safe even if they end up in a child’s mouth!
[Childcare] August activities: sensory play to enjoy summer, crafts, songs, hand games, and more (21–30)
It’s summer! Ghosts! Perorincho!
Let’s run away from Perorincho the ghost! This is a game where everyone runs to avoid being licked by the big tongue of “Perorincho,” a ghost made from a plastic bag.
There are many ways to play: chase each other, have Perorincho disappear for a moment, or dash through the ghost the instant it’s lifted.
Ghosts are a summertime staple, but a ghost this cute won’t scare the kids—they’ll be happy to play!
