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
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- [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] Liven up childcare! A collection of indoor play and physical activity ideas (11–20)
Snow play to enjoy in your room
You can enjoy playing in the snow indoors, even in the cold winter! All you need is construction paper, an empty tissue box, crayons, and double-sided tape.
First, draw a big cloud on the construction paper with crayons and cut it out with scissors.
Next, make slits in the plastic opening of the empty tissue box.
Stick double-sided tape on one side of the box and attach the cloud to that side.
Finally, cut the construction paper into small pieces to look like snow and put them inside the box—that’s it! If you tap the bottom of the box, it will look like snow is falling.
It’s also fun to play a game with the kids where you gather the fallen snow together.
It even helps with clean-up!
Hop-on-one-leg sumo
Let me introduce one of our traditional games, “Kenken Sumo.” It’s easy to enjoy both outdoors and indoors.
First, prepare a ring.
Inside the ring, face each other while standing on one leg, and try pushing and pulling your opponent.
If you step out of the ring or the raised foot touches the ground, you lose.
It’s fun to think about ways to push that break your opponent’s balance rather than relying only on strength.
Since being strong doesn’t guarantee a win, both kids and adults can enjoy it together.
Be sure to play with the children and have a great time!
Balloon ball
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♬ 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!
Balloon play with static electricity
https://www.tiktok.com/@tomonite_official/video/7444067084918672647Many children and adults dislike static electricity, right? Here’s a game that lets you play with it.
You’ll need a balloon, a pen, a towel, and a piece of plastic.
First, draw a butterfly on the plastic with the pen and cut it out.
Rub the balloon and the butterfly with the towel.
Try not to touch the rubbed areas with your hands.
When you place the butterfly on the balloon, it will float thanks to static electricity! Compete to see who can keep their butterfly flying the longest.
You can also make your own rules to make it even more fun, so get creative and enjoy!
[February] Get kids excited in childcare! A collection of indoor play and movement activity ideas (21–30)
Sketchbook Theater
In this sketchbook theater, a transparent clear file is attached over the page, with a white sheet of paper inside.
What you first show the children is a simple illustration drawn in black pen on the clear file.
As the story progresses, remove the white paper from inside the clear file and let them see the picture of the ogre drawn behind it.
Characters like the crying “Waa-waa Ogre” and the “I-don’t-want-to-clean-up Ogre” make an appearance.
It’s wonderful content that not only drives away the ogres with bean-throwing, but also helps with guidance and reminders about good behavior.
