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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- [For preschoolers] A collection of origami ideas to enjoy February, including Setsubun and Valentine’s Day
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- 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)
Kocho-ko Choco
We’d like to introduce a play song perfect for tickle games.
Is what’s in the box chocolate, or a tickle? Enjoy matching the actions to the lyrics.
If it’s chocolate, say “Here you go!” and offer it as a present; if it’s a tickle, give a little tickle.
With babies, caregivers can use it as a bonding touch game, and with toddlers and preschoolers, kids can pair up with friends and enjoy it as a hand-play song or dance song.
It could also be fun to set your own original items in the box besides chocolate and tickles!
3 fun activities with yarn
Winter is a season when the weather is unstable and infectious illnesses tend to spread, so kids end up spending more time playing indoors.
Some children may miss playing outside, but why not take this opportunity to try some crafting this winter? We’ll introduce three activities: making yarn bracelets, making yarn pom-poms, and knitting using a milk carton.
The bracelets are made with finger knitting, and the pom-poms are created by wrapping yarn around a U-shaped piece of cardboard.
Give these winter craft projects a try to help nurture children’s creativity.
Kids will love it! Ice play
@nexus_official5 Makes you look forward to cold days?! We can’t wait for spring either, but try making this on a day when the forecast says it’ll be chilly the next day!#nexus#memorytree nursery schoolKids will love it#IcePlayWinter PlayNursery teacher / Childcare worker#MemoriesTree Nursery School
♬ Escort – MoppySound
When it comes to playing with ice, many people think of summer, but in winter you can use the cold outdoor air to make ice.
The time it takes to freeze varies depending on where you place it and the temperature, which makes it a great learning experience for children.
You can make ice simply by putting water in a cup and leaving it outside, but this time let’s mix tissue paper and food coloring to create vibrantly colored ice.
In addition to making ice, try different ways to play: hold the ice up to the light, observe how it melts, or draw pictures using ice.
Expand the possibilities of ice play while embracing children’s free and creative ideas!
Let’s enjoy the bean-throwing game!
@mammybear_ Last week during Setsubun bean-throwing, the children at each class enjoyed various games.#Nursery schoolBean-throwing (Setsubun)Demons out, fortune in.Recommended
♬ Red Ogre and Blue Ogre Tango (Kids Song Cover) [from “NHK Educational TV E Tele - Okaasan to Issho”] – UtaSTAR
A heart-pounding event in February! How about trying some games perfect for Setsubun? You can pull a ring filled with beans to carry them, or throw beans at an oni target to defeat the ogre—plenty of Setsubun atmosphere to enjoy.
Let the children also have fun making masks and beans, and use the games to help them learn about the Setsubun tradition.
Feel free to adapt the rules to suit different ages! When older preschoolers carry the beans, turning it into a team competition will likely get everyone excited.
3 hand-play activities for Setsubun bean-throwing
We’d like to introduce some fun hand-play activities for Setsubun, a traditional event to drive away evil spirits that appear during seasonal transitions! The first is the classic “Oni no Pantsu” (The Ogre’s Underpants).
It’s a song about the ogre’s sturdy underpants that never tear, even after many years, and you express “pants” with handclaps and a peace-sign gesture.
The second is a song called “Mame-maki” (Bean Throwing), where you use your hands to mimic tossing beans and inviting in good fortune, just like the real bean-throwing ritual.
The third, “Oni no Oyako” (Ogre Parent and Child), is enjoyed by changing your voice and facial expressions to match the characters: the father ogre, mother ogre, and child ogre.
When the “Pika!” lightning part comes, energetically thrust both hands forward!