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!
- Play activities recommended for childcare in February: ideas to enjoy seasonal events
- [Childcare] Play and craft ideas to include in February events
- [Childcare] Fun February Indoor Play Ideas That Work for Both Small and Large Groups
- Indoor games and recreational activities recommended for daycare and kindergarten
- [For Kids] Indoor Fun! Large-Group Recreational Activities and Games
- [Quiz] A Collection of Quizzes You Can Use in February Childcare
- Useful for childcare! Today’s recommended recreational activities, including fingerplay and games!
- Indoor games that different ages can enjoy! Ideas for fun everyone can get excited about together
- Indoor Games for Small Groups: Exciting Recreational Activities
- [For preschoolers] A collection of origami ideas to enjoy February, including Setsubun and Valentine’s Day
- [Childcare] Play Right Now! Recommended No-Prep Games
- Ideas for indoor play, physical activities, and games suited to the development of 2-year-olds
- Make childcare more fun with winter quizzes! Seasonal ideas to get kids excited
[February] Get kids excited in childcare! A collection of indoor play and movement activity ideas (1–10)
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.
Cha-cha-cha of the Snowman
Here’s a hand-play song with a wintery theme of “snow” and “snowmen.” In this song, you first use both hands to show snow falling and piling up.
Then, you touch your fingertips together to make the round shape of a snowman, and finally, you rotate your clenched hands in front of your chest to show a dancing snowman.
It’s short, but it sparks children’s imaginations and teaches them the joy of playing in the snow.
If the part where you clap quickly three times is difficult, slow down the overall tempo and enjoy it at a comfortable speed.
Fun snow play in your room!
How about enjoying some snow play indoors? You can make “snow” by cutting thin paper like tissue or flower paper into small pieces.
The floor will turn completely white, and every movement will send fluffy flakes dancing—kids are sure to be thrilled! You can even make snowmen: stick double-sided tape on crumpled newspaper and roll it over the paper snow to collect it.
Add round stickers for eyes, and attach a construction-paper carrot nose and a bucket, and you’ll have a row of cute, wintry snowmen decorating the room.
Pack in lots of ideas that kids will love and have a blast with plenty of snow play!
[February] Liven up childcare! A collection of indoor play and physical activity ideas (11–20)
Sinking Game
A thrilling “Sinking Game” where two dangers strike: a sinking ship and sharks swimming around it.
Lay out mats in several spots around a fairly large room to serve as ships, and have everyone stand on them, divided among the mats.
Teachers play the role of sharks circling the ships! When the shark-teacher shouts, “The ship is sinking!”, everyone must run from their current mat-ship to a different mat-ship.
While they’re off the ship (not on a mat), the sharks can attack, so they have to move quickly to another mat before they get eaten.
To crank up the excitement, sometimes fake them out by saying words like “cheese” or “cheetah” instead of “sinking!”
Balloon ball
@sa_pon_asobi #AtHomePlayAt-home play#Indoor PlayChildcare1 year oldParentingAt-home childcare#SimpleAt-HomePlaySimple PlayCold Day ActivitiesHow to spend the New Yearplay for 1-year-olds, play for one-year-olds, how to play with a one-year-oldStruggling with parentingRainy day activities#OutOfIdeasForAtHomePlay
♬ Funny Kids – Syafeea library
Just looking at it is enough to make you excited! Let’s make balloon balls and play! Don’t you sometimes inflate plastic or large polyethylene bags for playtime at the daycare? Infants get super excited by bags that are bigger than their own bodies.
With a simple tweak, these inflated bags can be transformed into super-bouncy balls! The method is simple: take the inflated bag and wrap vinyl tape all the way around it vertically, horizontally, and diagonally.
That’s it—your extra-bouncy balloon ball is complete! You can make them in different sizes, and it seems fun to introduce them as a fresh stimulus when children start getting bored with regular inflated-bag play.
Poi-Poi Demon Slaying
https://www.tiktok.com/@rea_asobi/video/7463422086309104903This game, where you toss balls into an ogre/oni, is an especially recommended indoor activity for infants.
Cut the bottom of a laundry net and cover a cardboard frame with it, then secure it with tape.
Stick it on the wall like a basketball hoop to finish.
Attach an oni (ogre) motif where the balls go in.
Children can toss colored balls into the net one after another.
When the net gets full, open the zipper at the bottom and the balls will come out! Close the zipper and you can play again.
It’s a fun activity involving putting balls in and taking them out, and opening and closing the zipper!
Snowflake Game
@asobiinlife The Ministry of Play is launched! Snowflake Game! Let's give it a try!Ministry of Play#asobi_in_lifePlay#Yoshi Oniisan#playGo viral#LOLTrendy one#Snow CrystalsSnowflake Game
♬ Christmas standard song – 3KTrack
Let me introduce a snowflake game that gets preschoolers excited.
First, use tape to make a hexagon on the floor.
Draw a smaller hexagon inside and a larger one outside, then add vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines.
Once it looks like a snowflake, it’s ready.
Prepare three paper cups in each of two different colors, and the game begins.
Split into two teams.
Each team places their three cups of their color on the three nearest corners, and the opponent does the same.
On the snowflake, you can move only one cup at a time along the lines—vertically, horizontally, or diagonally—from one intersection to the next, taking turns.
If the spot you move to has an opponent’s cup, place your cup on top of it.
The last player remaining wins.
It’s a fun, brain-teasing game!