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

New Year’s Quiz

[New Year Quiz] How much do you know about New Year’s things? ☆ Anime for Toddlers ☆ Kids’ Anime ☆ Educational Anime

Kids love quizzes! They’re easy to play without any special materials, so they’re great for activities at nurseries and kindergartens.

For January fun, how about New Year’s quizzes that teach children about Japanese culture? Try questions like: “What fruit is placed on top of the kagami mochi?”, “What square-shaped food do we eat at New Year?”, and “What arrives in the mailbox at New Year?” Come up with New Year–themed questions! You could also add multiple-choice answers or provide hints to suit the children’s ages.

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[Traditional Play] Oshikura Manju

Traditional Playground Games Newspaper #1: Oshikura Manju

Warm up while interacting with friends, teachers, and guardians! Here are some ideas for playing Oshikura Manju (a friendly pushing game).

The great thing about this activity is that it requires no preparation, so you can start right away.

At first, it’s good to review the rules while gently pushing each other in time with a chant.

Once everyone gets used to it, you can make it more exciting by having groups of two or three play inside a circle, and adding rules like losing if you step out of the circle or if your hands or feet touch the ground.

Even on cold days, you’ll find your body warming up before you know it!

[Traditional Play] Sugoroku

[For 5-year-olds] Let’s make a sugoroku game!

Get familiar with numbers and letters while you play! Here are some ideas for a sugoroku board game.

All you need is paper, a pen, tape, and scissors.

Once you get used to the rules, it could be fun to create an original sugoroku board and custom dice together with the kids! Sugoroku is great because it lets children encounter hiragana and numbers through play.

Why not include it in your indoor activities? A handmade sugoroku board is sure to feel special.

Give it a try!

Traditional play: kite flying

New Year’s fun! Great for indoors too ♪ Instant kite-flying

Here’s an idea for kite flying, a traditional pastime long enjoyed in Japan.

You’ll need A3 copy paper, a ruler, a pen, scissors, a plastic bag, a straw, toothpicks, and tape.

First, fold the copy paper into three equal sections lengthwise.

Next, make creases to divide it into four equal sections widthwise, mark the lines with a ruler and pen, and cut the paper.

Finally, cut the plastic bag to match the paper, then attach the straw, toothpicks, and string—and you’re done! You can enjoy it indoors, so give it a try.

[Traditional Play] Daruma Otoshi (Daruma Knock-Down)

Traditional Play Newspaper #36: Daruma Otoshi (New Year’s Game ②)

Your heart races as the blocks wobble! Here’s a classic idea inspired by the traditional Japanese game “Daruma Otoshi.” In Daruma Otoshi, you strike cylindrical blocks one by one with a wooden mallet to bring the daruma figure at the top down to the bottom.

Because you have to keep the balance so the daruma doesn’t topple or fall, it’s great for developing concentration.

Start with a single layer, and once you get used to it, stack more blocks.

The delighted expressions on children’s faces when they succeed are absolutely adorable.

Give it a try!

Traditional Game: Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each)

Koshigaya City: Hyakunin Isshu tournament at Wakaba Kindergarten (Public Relations, January 2015, AR)

Once children get used to games with rules, Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each) is highly recommended.

Hyakunin Isshu is a collection of outstanding waka poems—one each by 100 poets—divided into a 5-7-5 upper verse and a 7-7 lower verse.

Playing fosters listening skills, and if they find a favorite poem, it can become a gateway to Japanese literature.

Looking up modern translations to understand the meanings can make the poems feel more relatable.

Once everyone’s comfortable, hosting a Hyakunin Isshu tournament will really liven things up.

Parents and teachers, please try playing together with the children.

Traditional Play: Fukuwarai

[For 4-year-olds] Laugh together! Let’s make and play Fukuwarai!

Here’s an idea for Fukuwarai, a traditional New Year’s game.

What you need are a face outline and parts for the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth.

In Fukuwarai, players arrange the facial parts while their eyes are covered.

Even if you think you did a great job, when the blindfold comes off, the parts are often in unexpected places—that’s the charm of Fukuwarai! It’s a hilarious game that’s sure to make everyone laugh.

While Hyottoko and Okame are common themes, it would also be fun to use original characters or photos!