Lovely childcare

Enjoyable in December childcare! A collection of fun event and play 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.
20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.

Winter at preschools and kindergartens is full of heartwarming, fun events! December gets colder, but there are plenty of activities to enjoy both indoors and outdoors.

Try creating memorable seasonal events with the children—like traditional nursery rhymes, rice cake pounding, and homemade Christmas cakes.

Outdoors, activities like mandarin orange picking and marathon races are perfect for shaking off the cold with lots of energy.

Indoors, we introduce lively games that are great for both daily care and Christmas parties—fun events and games that will fill the room with children’s smiles!

Fun for December Childcare! A Collection of Enjoyable Event & Play Ideas (11–20)

Christmas craft

[Crafts] 3 Christmas Crafts for Toddlers [Daycare/Kindergarten]

Christmas craft

Let’s enjoy Christmas-themed crafts with the kids.

For a Christmas tree made with a paper cup, paste torn pieces of origami paper using a collage technique, then decorate with stickers.

Cut slits into the rim of the paper cup with scissors and gently flare them outward.

Place the cup over a toilet paper roll to finish.

If you prepare yellow origami paper, you can make a Christmas bell the same way.

For both crafts, using two colors of origami emphasizes the torn-paper effect and gives a beautiful finish.

Give it a try!

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Christmas concert

Azalee Group - Gin no Suzu Nursery School Christmas Party

Christmas concert

Let’s practice some Christmas-themed songs and hold a music concert together.

If everyone brings items like bells or candles and wears red or green outfits, the concert where everyone is the star can begin! In addition to each class performing the songs they’ve practiced, it would be great to include fun activities like a Christmas present scavenger hunt.

Don’t forget that the teachers in the audience and the classes not performing should keep the energy up with hand claps.

If everyone enjoys the time together, it will be a Christmas concert to remember.

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Daikon harvest

Kasama Nursery School: Daikon Harvest

Daikon harvest

Grown with care by the children’s own hands, our daikon radishes have flourished! Daikon is a classic winter ingredient and is often used in the kindergarten’s school lunches.

We’d love to make this a great opportunity for the children to experience the basics of food education: nurturing food, harvesting it, and eating it with gratitude, all while savoring the joy of harvesting with their own hands.

First, let the teachers demonstrate to spark interest in what daikon harvesting involves, then have the children who want to try on their own pull up the radishes.

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School life presentation (students’ performance/showcase)

Play: The Sweets Planet Gluttons — Sumire Class (3-year-olds, junior class) at the nursery school recital, December 2015, Fukui City

School life presentation (students’ performance/showcase)

Some preschools hold their performance presentations in December, don’t they? There’s so much to do—from choosing the theme and making costumes to daily rehearsals! All the more reason to make it an event where the children can look forward to the big day and have fun.

It could also be nice to intentionally pick a theme with a year-end feel.

Since it’s a time when infectious illnesses tend to spread, it’s reassuring to allow plenty of time for practice and preparations.

Compared to the spring when they enrolled or moved up a grade, seeing how much the children have grown is sure to move both teachers and parents.

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Post office play

Post Office Pretend Play for Ages 0–3

Post office play

Although the custom of writing New Year’s cards is declining, it’s still exciting to receive a letter.

Let’s enjoy a pretend post office game with handmade letters together with the children.

Have the kids draw freely on small pieces of construction paper.

Once their drawings are finished, stick a stamp-like sticker on the back.

When the letters are ready, post them into a teacher-made mailbox.

For children around age two and up, have them “become postal workers” next and try stamping a postmark.

Deliver the finished mail to the children’s lockers.

If you match each stamp with the child’s personal mark in advance, it’s easier to understand.

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playing in the snow

[Only 2 ingredients] How to make cool, cold, non-melting snow

playing in the snow

Here’s how to make non-melting snow so you can enjoy snow play even in areas where it doesn’t snow.

You’ll need baking soda, hair conditioner, and a container.

First, put the baking soda into the container.

If your child has sensitive skin or you’ll be playing for a long time, it’s recommended to wear vinyl gloves.

Next, add the conditioner and mix.

Any conditioner will work, but a colorless one is recommended to match the image of snow.

Adjust the amount to get your preferred firmness.

If you chill it in the refrigerator, it will feel even more like real snow; however, since the conditioner’s scent may transfer to the fridge, be sure to store it in a storage bag or similar container.

The texture is very close to real snow, so you can enjoy snow play even in places without snowfall.

If you live in a snowy area, try comparing it with real snow and have fun!

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Have fun in December childcare! A collection of fun event and play ideas (21–30)

Fun for adults too! “Fluffy Snow”

January hand game “Fluffy Snow♪” (with lyrics) – a winter hand play that childcare workers and moms and dads recommend, and that children love! Nursery rhyme & Japanese children’s song

Fun for adults too! “Fluffy Snow”

This is a fingerplay song where you build a snowman and look for numbers hidden in the lyrics.

It doesn’t include every number from 1 to 9, but there are surprisingly many hidden ones—see how many you can find.

In this fingerplay, the snowman’s eyes are made with mandarins, the nose with a carrot, and the eyebrows with a cucumber.

It’s fun to imagine what the face will look like.

Asking “What would you use to make yours?” will likely get everyone excited.

When it snows, try making the snowman you imagined.

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