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 (31–40)

Also great for January birthday parties! A fun panel theater

@aoringo.shop
Panda’s New Year Shop – Panel Theater. Perfect for New Year performances and January birthday parties! Includes interactive mechanisms.New Year The Twelve Zodiac Signs January translation Happy New Year Happy New Year Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Childcare #Kindergarten Birthday party Performance / Show Panel Theater Aoringo Shop #GreenApple Panel Theater
3:03 PM – Sharou

This panel theater is performed using a shop called “Oshōgatsu-ya” (New Year’s Shop) and various New Year-related items.

When you say “Akemashite omedetō” (Happy New Year), the shop’s doors open and the items appear.

It’s a play on words between akemashite (Happy New Year) and akemashite (to open)! You can use any items you like—mochi, a battledore, New Year’s money envelopes, osechi, and so on.

Clearly explain what each item is so the children can understand and get a feel for New Year’s traditions.

If there’s a birthday child, adding a cake will likely delight them!

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New Year hand game! The Osechi box song

The classic fingerplay song “Obentō-bako no Uta” has been turned into a New Year’s osechi version called “Osechi-bako no Uta.” In it, the word “obentō-bako” (lunch box) is swapped for “osechi-bako,” and the foods put inside are also changed to osechi staples like kuri kinton (sweet chestnut paste), kuromame (sweet black soybeans), datemaki (sweet rolled omelet), and shrimp.

The dishes chosen are ones that are especially easy for children to eat, so it’s likely easier for them to imagine the flavors.

Kids who haven’t tried osechi yet might hear this fingerplay song and think, “I want to try osechi.”

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Great for New Year’s fun too! Daruma rolling

When it comes to classic New Year’s motifs, “daruma” surely comes to mind.

They’re also very popular as New Year’s decorations, and there’s even a custom of painting in the left eye while making a wish.

In this activity, children make daruma using colored plastic sheeting and then climb on them, jump, and roll around to play.

Is the plastic bag stuffed with newspaper? The plastic is reinforced with tape so it won’t tear, and cute faces are attached as well.

There aren’t any fixed rules for how to play, so let the children interact freely with the daruma.

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For New Year decorations! Mini kadomatsu

@soramame.sensei
Childcare Let's play at home Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Production Translation New Year’s decoration for January New Year #New Year's card Winter Break #WinterBreakProject　#StayHomeTime Translation #diy
♬ Oshogatsu Pico Pico Chiptune Version(1376601) – STUDIO incho3

Let me share a handmade idea for a mini kadomatsu you can make with simple steps.

In this idea, you’ll make a kadomatsu, a folding fan, plum blossoms, and red-and-white gohei from origami or construction paper, attach them to bamboo skewers, and create decorative parts.

Then place floral foam in a cup of your choice, insert the skewers, and arrange the parts for good balance.

Finally, fill any gaps with crumpled flower cores to finish.

If the bamboo skewers are too long, it’s best to cut them; however, they’re hard to cut with scissors, so prepare skewers that have been cut to an appropriate length in advance.

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Recommended for infants and toddlers! Interactive play with traditional nursery rhymes

This is a traditional children’s song called “Tenya no Omochi.” It’s a song themed around mochi, and it can be enjoyed in different ways depending on the child’s age.

When playing with infants, sit the child on your lap and move your hands together to the rhythm.

For preschoolers, have them pair up with a friend and pass a beanbag back and forth, pretending it’s mochi.

The minor-key melody and rhythm are easy to remember, so you can play it over and over.

There are other New Year’s children’s songs as well, so be sure to enjoy hands-on play with a variety of songs.

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Have fun in childcare! A collection of play ideas that liven up cold January days (41–50)

Challenge in childcare! First calligraphy play

@miraistep.hoikuen
New Year – January Crafts#Nursery school Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Saitama Prefecture Saitama City Mirai Step New Year First calligraphy of the year #Nursery School Craft #Year of the Snake
♫ Original Song – Mirai Step Co., Ltd. – Mirai Step Co., Ltd.

Kakizome is the first calligraphy of the year, in which people write down their New Year’s resolutions and wishes with the hope of improving their handwriting.

Although it’s an event that assumes you can write characters, it’s the New Year—so why not let children from infants to preschoolers enjoy their own style of kakizome? For older preschoolers who are practicing letters in preparation for school, it’s a good idea to write that year’s zodiac animal in hiragana.

For infants, writing characters is a high hurdle, so encourage them to try it as a drawing activity while letting them feel the texture of the brush and washi paper.

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New Year’s games that infants and toddlers can enjoy!

New Year’s Play for Ages 0–2

New Year’s games that infants and toddlers can enjoy!

Let me introduce some New Year’s activities that infants can enjoy.

First up is the shishi-mai lion dance! It’s said that having the lion lightly bite your head drives away evil spirits.

Children might feel scared, but gently reassure them by saying, “It’s not scary—something good will happen,” and encourage them to give it a try.

Next are traditional New Year’s games like spinning tops, kite flying, and fukuwarai (a face-building game).

There are plenty of great ideas, such as kites made from plastic bags, tops with longer spindles that are easier to spin, and fukuwarai themed around characters infants love.

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