Lovely childcare

Have fun in childcare! A collection of play ideas to liven up cold days in January

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.

When January comes, many teachers may want to incorporate New Year’s games and activities unique to the cold season.

Traditional games and action-based finger plays offer chances to engage with friends while experiencing Japanese culture.

Here, we introduce winter-specific play ideas such as Oshikura Manju, Fukuwarai, and kite flying.

We’ve picked a variety of activities—from ones that require no preparation to those where you can make the materials together with the children.

These are all activities that warm the body and spread smiles even on cold days.

Be sure to try them in your childcare setting!

Have Fun in Childcare! A Collection of Play Ideas to Liven Up Cold January Days (11–20)

Handmade spinning-top play

[Handmade Toy] [Cardboard Craft] For New Year’s play! Sparkly Spinning Top

Handmade spinning-top play

How about making your own spinning tops for New Year’s playtime at daycare or kindergarten? This is an easy craft you can make with cardboard, so try it together with the children! First, cut the cardboard into a circle and stick colored origami paper on it.

You can also customize this step by drawing with crayons or pens, or adding vinyl tape.

Next, make a hole in the center of the body, wrap some masking tape around a cotton swab, cut one end, and insert it into the body—and it’s done! Please note that the step of making the hole in the body with an awl or similar tool should be done by an adult.

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Handmade Hagoita Game

[Daycare/Kindergarten] New Year’s Craft! How to Make a Milk Carton Battledore (Hagoita) [100-Yen Store DIY]

Handmade Hagoita Game

These battledores made from milk cartons are perfect for children’s New Year’s games.

Milk cartons are fairly sturdy and hard to break, making them excellent materials for battledores—and they’re cost-free, so give it a try! To make one, cut the milk carton open and lay it flat, fix a chopstick in the center with duct tape or similar, then fold the sides in and secure them.

You can decorate it by attaching washi-patterned origami paper or drawing on it.

You can also get creative: make a shuttlecock separately and play with it, or hang a balloon from the ceiling and hit it with the battledore—both are fun variations.

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Handmade karuta made from cardboard

[Cardboard Crafts] [Handmade Toys] Easy with Recycled Materials! DIY Karuta to Play at New Year

Handmade karuta made from cardboard

Let’s make and play a New Year’s classic, karuta, by hand using cardboard! Because you can draw large illustrations, it’s easy for kids to play with, and it’s also nice that it’s simple to make.

First, cut the cardboard to a manageable size and reinforce the borders with vinyl tape.

Draw a circle in the top-right corner and write a hiragana character inside it.

Then add an illustration that matches the clue card, and you’re done! If it’s hard to create clue sentences for every row from A (a-gyo) to W (wa-gyo), you can just pick the ones that will capture the children’s interest.

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ice rolling

Let's Enjoy Winter Activities! [Ages 0–2] | Minami Senrioka Play & Learning Nursery School [Daycare/Kindergarten Event]

ice rolling

As a winter-themed outdoor activity, we recommend “ice rolling”! Create a sloped ramp and slide ice cubes made with an ice maker, etc.

January can be especially cold, so opportunities for outdoor play tend to decrease, but children will be fascinated by the chilly ice and have a great time! You can also spice it up with colored ice, different shapes like circles and squares, or even extra-large ice blocks to make it more exciting.

If you’re looking for a winter-related activity, give it a try!

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Snow play eurhythmics

[January Winter Eurhythmics ⛄] For ages 3–5: Snow Play Eurhythmics [⛄ Winter Songs, Snow ✨] Newspaper play, rhythm activities usable in childcare, and craft activities

Snow play eurhythmics

Here’s a recommendation for a “Snow Play Eurhythmics” activity that’s perfect for chilly January days.

Let’s enjoy it together with the children using pretend play set to the classic winter song “Yuki” (Snow)! By moving their whole bodies, kids will warm up both physically and mentally.

First, tear newspaper into pieces to pretend it’s snow.

Next, play with the newspaper snow to the melody and rhythm of the song “Yuki.” Just like playing outside in real snow, you can have a snowball fight or make snowmen using the newspaper! It’s also great for helping children relieve stress, so why not give it a try?

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[Hand game] Department store with a penguin logoLyrics/Music: Seiji Inukai

Penguin-mark department store | Nursery teachers demonstrate a hugely popular fingerplay song♪

Penguins have warm feathers and are resistant to the cold.

Let me introduce a hand game featuring such penguins as the stars: “The Department Store with the Penguin Logo.” In this game, children can copy the actions with excitement as they imagine what kinds of shops are in a department store with floors from the first to the fifth.

The rhythm is pleasant, and the choreography is adorable! Teachers and parents, please become penguins together with the children and enjoy the hand game “The Department Store with the Penguin Logo” to the fullest.

It might be fun to end with a quiz about which shops were inside.

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Have Fun in Childcare! A Collection of Play Ideas for Cold January Days (21–30)

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 school Kids will love it #IcePlay Winter Play Nursery 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!

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