February: Liven up childcare! A collection of ideas for indoor play and physical activities
February brings plenty of seasonal events—like Setsubun and Valentine’s Day—even at daycare centers and kindergartens.
But when the cold days continue, there are many days when you can’t go outside.
That’s when activities that let children move their bodies freely indoors and recreations that incorporate winter’s unique seasonal feel come in handy.
From exercise games with an oni-slaying theme and traditional “kenken sumo” to ideas that let you enjoy a snowy play mood indoors, we’ll introduce lots of games perfect for February.
The content is enjoyable for infants through preschoolers, so please use it as a reference!
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[February] Liven up childcare! A collection of indoor play and physical activity ideas (71–80)
Stick-removal game
There’s that game where you build a sand mound in a sandbox, stick a twig in the center, and then remove the surrounding sand without knocking the stick over—called “stick topple,” right? This is a very similar game, and also a bit like Jenga, called the “Stick Pull Game.” You only need items you have at home: ten or more pencils or pens, and a small tape core or a roll of masking tape.
Thread the pencils through the core and twist them so they radiate outward.
Then, take turns pulling out one stick at a time; the person who causes it to collapse loses.
Kariuta
It’s a karuta-style game where you grab cards printed with words that often appear in J-pop lyrics.
You lay out the cards and actually play music.
When words like “I” or “you” come up in the song’s lyrics, you take the card with that word on it.
It’s a fun game that lets you enjoy the music itself, too.
target practice
A game where you throw a ball at a target with numbers or pictures on it is called “target throwing.” The common rule is to add up the numbers you hit, and the person with the highest total wins.
But if you play in February, make the target an oni (demon) to match Setsubun! Just like driving the oni out of the house by throwing beans, throw balls at a target with an oni illustration to defeat it.
Of course, you can throw actual beans instead of a ball, too! By changing the target to suit the season, even a familiar target-throwing game can be enjoyed in new ways.
[February] Liven Up Childcare! A Collection of Indoor Play & Physical Activity Ideas (81–90)
Setsubun Hand Play Medley
Let’s have fun with hand-play activities using songs about Setsubun! Starting with the familiar “Oni no Pantsu,” as well as “Kaminari-don,” “Mamemaki,” and “Oni no Oyako,” you can sing all of these while doing hand motions! Use your hands to act out movements that match the lyrics, make numbers, or even use other parts of your body—there are lots of ways to enjoy the songs through movement.
Instead of just throwing beans and eating ehomaki, why not add sing-along hand-play songs to make Setsubun even more fun? Be sure to try it together with friends or siblings and have a great time.
Bean Grabbing Game
This is a recreational game where players compete to see how quickly they can pick up beans with chopsticks and move them to a different spot.
It’s perfect for helping young children practice using chopsticks.
Even adults might find it challenging.
Don’t rush—grip the beans firmly.
Playing Demon Slayer (pretend/playacting as Demon Slayer)
Speaking of February, we can’t forget Setsubun, the day for driving out demons! And when it comes to slaying demons, the manga Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a huge hit with kids.
Here’s an indoor “Kimetsu no Yaiba pretend play” that combines Kimetsu no Yaiba with Setsubun.
Imitate the scene where Tanjiro, during training, splits a rock that shouldn’t be breakable with his sword: use a paper party ball (kusudama) as the “rock” and a stick as the “sword,” and strike it to break it open.
When the “rock” splits, beans—demons’ least favorite!—come out.
That’s how you fuse Kimetsu no Yaiba with Setsubun.
Unlike Tanjiro’s rock, the kusudama-as-rock breaks easily with a few hits, so even kids can do it.
Enjoy both the world of Kimetsu no Yaiba and the Setsubun tradition!
Matt’s Demon-Slaying
@cocoro_ws♬ Pop, instrument (870790) – Momo Melo
Here’s a fun game for February: “Mat Oni Taiji” (Defeating the Demon Mat).
Take a lightweight, bi-fold color mat, stick a demon face on it, and place it up on a balance beam or blocks to give it some height.
From a distance, children throw colored balls at the demon mat to knock it down! You can mark a throwing line with vinyl tape, but once kids get excited, they tend to move forward and ignore the line.
A clearer rule is to lay out a mat and have them throw only from on top of that mat.
It’s also great as an introduction to Setsubun!
