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)
Valentine’s Day Crafts
Speaking of Valentine’s Day, most people picture it as a day to give chocolates to someone special.
If you make a container to hold those chocolates, it might help you feel even more connected to the holiday.
Using items meant for holding things—like paper cups, paper bags, or gift boxes—as a base and then customizing them is a great way to create a sturdy container.
Decorating with ribbons or paper cut into heart shapes is a classic approach—aim for a festive look that helps convey your feelings.
Cardboard Ogre
If you engage in a game themed around Setsubun bean-throwing, it won’t just be fun—it can also serve as a rehearsal.
So here’s an idea I’d like to share: the cardboard oni (ogre).
This involves attaching a paper-crafted oni face to a cardboard box.
Then, throw balls made from crumpled newspaper, pretending they’re beans, into the box and play.
The fun part is that sometimes the throws go in and sometimes they don’t.
Since everyone tends to crowd into one spot to retrieve missed balls, place several baskets filled with the “beans” in different locations as a preventative measure.
Ice ogre
Let me introduce a game that evokes the feeling of cold: “Ice Tag.” First, start the game as usual by dividing into a tagger and runners.
The rule is that anyone touched by the tagger must freeze on the spot and can’t move.
A key point is that the tagger does not change.
A frozen player can be revived if another player touches them, but if everyone gets tagged and frozen, there’s no one left to revive them, so the tagger wins.
Once everyone gets used to the basic rules, you can add variations, such as deciding a specific pose for freezing.
Snowman Soccer
Perfect for warming up the body, here’s a snowman soccer idea.
All you need are a ball made by crumpling up newspaper and a goal made from cardboard.
Since the goal looks like a snowman, it’s called snowman soccer.
Why not start by getting familiar with the motion of kicking the ball? By changing the design of the goal, you could adapt it for other events like Setsubun or Valentine’s Day, too.
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.
