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 & Physical Activity Ideas (81–90)
Ehomaki Taste-Off
When it comes to food for Setsubun, it’s all about ehomaki! Let’s make Setsubun even more fun with an ehomaki flavor-guessing challenge.
Since it’s a guessing game, the person answering is, of course, blindfolded.
In that state, they eat the ehomaki and try to identify the fillings and flavors inside.
You can pack in lots of ingredients and have them guess them all, or use just one ingredient and have them guess what it is—any style works! It’s also fun to add a penalty game, like making anyone who can’t answer play the ‘oni’ who gets pelted with beans!
I love you game
A perfect game for Valentine’s season: the “I love you” game.
The rules are super simple—just face your partner and keep saying “I love you.” If either the person saying it or the person hearing it gets embarrassed, blushes, or laughs, they’re out.
You can spice up how you say “I love you,” or add words before or after it—that’s fine! You can even pretend not to hear and say things like “Say it again,” to make them repeat it.
Being made to say it again can make people blush or laugh, so watch out for this rule! If you play it with your mom or dad, they might lose right away because you’re just too cute!
Fingerplay song “Choco-choco Chocolate”
When it comes to Valentine’s Day, you can’t forget chocolate! Let me introduce a cute hand-play song featuring chocolate called “Choko Choko Chocolate.” The chocolates that appear come in various shapes, like round, star, and heart.
You add hand movements that match each chocolate’s shape and the lyrics.
For example, since a round chocolate tends to roll, you express that with a rolling motion in the hand play.
How about singing it together with friends or someone you like on Valentine’s Day?
Paper Cup Pyramid
Compete to see who can stack paper cups into a pyramid the fastest.
If you rush, the balance suffers; if you’re too careful, you lose speed—making it a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat game.
The higher it gets, the harder it becomes.
Give it a try with everyone!
Tag (the game)
February is the season for Setsubun, isn’t it? How about a simple game that incorporates the Setsubun ogre (oni)? The key is to tailor the game to each age group! For example, for ages 0–1, you can crumple newspaper to make “beans.” For ages 2–3, you can use the newspaper beans for bean-throwing.
For older children, it might be fun to try mini-golf using the newspaper beans.
To help prevent injuries, be sure to include a warm-up—wearing “oni pants” for the exercise makes it even more fun!
In conclusion
We’ve introduced ideas for indoor play and physical activities that are perfect for childcare in February.
From card games to oshikura manju (a friendly pushing game), they’re all activities that let children move their bodies and have fun even in the cold season.
Seasonal recreations—like demon-chasing games for Setsubun or games themed around snowflakes—spark children’s curiosity.
Be sure to enjoy winter-only play together with the kids!