Play activities recommended for childcare in February: ideas to enjoy seasonal events
February, when the cold really sets in, is a time when snow play and indoor activities tend to get lively.
There are also many seasonal events like Setsubun and Valentine’s Day, so some of you may be looking for ideas children will love.
In this article, we’ve gathered games and recreational activities perfect for early childhood care in February.
We’ll introduce a wide range—from activities you can take your time with indoors to ones that get kids moving actively.
Hands-on play and games can also spark children’s imagination and help their ideas flourish.
We hope you’ll find these recommended activities for the chilly season helpful.
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Recommended February childcare activities: Ideas to enjoy seasonal events (31–40)
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 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.
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!
Mochi Glasses & Mochi-Pounding Peta-peta-petan-ko
When making mochi, we use the onomatopoeic word “pettan,” don’t we? In this fingerplay song, you touch your thumb to each of your other fingers in time with that sound to act out pounding mochi.
And what you end up with isn’t a kagami-mochi, but… mochi glasses! They look like they’d really stick to your face, but it seems like a fun way to spark kids’ imaginations about what to make with mochi.
Moving your fingers precisely is trickier than it looks, so start slowly at first.
Once you get the hang of it, try speeding up for a challenge.
Recommended activities for childcare in February: ideas to enjoy seasonal events (41–50)
Throwing honeycomb balls through a hoop
Great for Halloween too! Here’s an idea for a game where you make a spiderweb with a hula hoop and throw balls at it.
You’ll need a hula hoop, clear tape, black construction paper, scissors or a craft knife, and colorful balls.
Use the black construction paper to make a spiderweb and a spider.
Attach strips of clear tape across the inside of the hula hoop to create a target.
When you throw the colorful balls, it looks like they get caught in the web, which is really fun! If you don’t have a hula hoop, you can make a ring by cutting poster paper into long strips and connecting them into a loop.
In conclusion
We’ve introduced play ideas that children attending nursery school can easily try. By trying activities and recreations that teachers and guardians can enjoy together, these experiences will likely become lasting memories for the children. Along with highlighting seasonal events like Setsubun and Valentine’s Day, let’s have the children try hands-on crafts and games. Be sure to incorporate these play ideas that you can use in February’s childcare activities.