[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 finger plays (41–50)
5 Handmade Toys to Enjoy the Summer Festival
@hoikushi_bank 5 Summer Festival Games That Went Viral on Instagram!!Support for childcare workers#Production Video#Production videoIdeas for childcare#HandmadeToys
♬ Nagisa – imase
Five handmade toy ideas to enjoy at a summer festival that shine in various booths! When you think of a summer festival, many people picture exciting fair stalls and prizes, right? Ideas like watermelon smashing, goldfish scooping, a fishing booth, ring toss, and target shooting are all wonderful.
Each is handmade with a warm feel and clever touches, so be sure to give them a try.
You can already picture the children’s sparkling smiles as they play with excitement.
Summer Memory Pretend Play
Here are some pretend-play ideas for making summer memories indoors during the hot season.
Try handmade barbecues, bug-hunting searches, and goldfish scooping—create them together with the kids and have fun.
For the barbecue, talk with the children about what ingredients they want to make, then create them together.
For the bug-hunting search, the key is to think about where to stick photos or illustrations of insects at the children’s eye level and get creative with placement.
For goldfish scooping, rescue origami fish carefully so they don’t fall.
Competing to see how many you can catch also sounds fun! These are great activities for enjoying play indoors even on hot summer days.
Sea Dance
There are many songs with an ocean theme, but we want to protect our beautiful seas and encourage people to learn about them.
With that wish in mind, let’s sing “Umi Dance” during the summer beach season.
Its upbeat, catchy rhythm makes it a lively number that’s perfect for singing and dancing together.
The charm of the song is that you can have fun while learning about what’s good and bad for the marine environment.
Through the song and dance, you can discover what’s important to keep the seas surrounding Japan clean and healthy forever.
If you come up with choreography and dance together, it will be great fun for school plays and recitals, too.
test of courage
Kimodameshi, a test of courage long familiar as a summer tradition.
Many versions involve hanging black cloth indoors to block out as much light as possible, then walking through a dim space with eerie background music playing, getting a stamp at the end, and returning.
It’s recommended to go in a group rather than alone.
Of course, some children will be scared and reluctant to join, but how about preparing rewards or events they can enjoy afterwards? Try adding creative touches so it becomes a fun summer memory.
Watermelon splitting
One of the iconic sights of summer is the watermelon-splitting game.
It’s often enjoyed at kids’ events and at the beach, but there are various issues: preparing whole watermelons is a hassle, it’s hard to know how many to get depending on the number of children participating, and the cleanup can be tough.
So let’s try a version you can enjoy to the fullest indoors—and as many times as you like! We’ll make a watermelon that splits open with a satisfying pop when struck with a stick.
It’s also fun to have everyone work together to make a big watermelon.
Water play with a vacuum/compression bag
Introducing a cool summer activity using vacuum storage bags for futons and clothes! All you need to do is fill the bag with water—just enough so it doesn’t get overstuffed.
When you touch the water-filled bag, you’ll enjoy a squishy, bouncy sensation, and standing on it barefoot feels great thanks to the coolness of the water.
Lie down on it and it feels even better! Vacuum storage bags are stronger than regular plastic bags, so it’s fine for kids to hop on them.
If you draw some fish and slip the drawings inside before adding water, it’ll feel like you’re playing with fish—as if you’re in the ocean or a river!
summer festival
A fun event that’s sure to delight the kids: the Summer Festival! Just like the stalls at a real festival, enjoy activities such as yo-yo fishing, lucky draws, and super ball scooping.
Not only the children—teachers, too, can boost the festive mood by wearing yukata or jinbei! Set up well-stocked game booths like shooting galleries and ring toss, and try making a stamp card so everyone can visit each station.
At the end, let’s all form a circle and dance at the Bon Odori! We also recommend holding it in the evening when the heat eases.