Recommended Indoor Activities and Recreation Games for July

Handmade planetarium

@atsumichan774

At night, turn off all the lights in your room… and play with a homemade planetarium! Hello! I’m Atsumi, a nursery teacher! Today I made a planetarium using colored cellophane, construction paper, and a smartphone! Use a craft knife to cut holes in the black construction paper in any shapes you like—stars, triangles, squares… making lots of different shapes is really fun. Once you tape the paper into a cone shape, shine your phone’s light from the inside and play! It looks seriously beautiful and it’s so much fun! ● Materials Construction paper Colored cellophane Clear tape Smartphone Atsumi-sensei’s Craft Channel Atsumi-sensei’s Nursery Diary Sound effects: Maou DamashiiPlanetariumHandmadework#Nursery schoolSummerArtNight sky#HandmadeToysShooting starColor cellophaneDaisoProduction ideasAugust

♬ sweet dreams – Chaba no Gika

How about enjoying the glittering stars of Tanabata and the summer night sky with a handmade planetarium? It’s a perfect event for those who rarely have time to gaze at the sky, and you can enjoy it without worrying about the weather.

Stick it to the ceiling, darken the room, and set the mood with music that suits the summer sky to make it even more exciting.

Sea Dance

The Nippon Foundation “Umi to Nihon Project” Umi Dance

Umi Dance features a refreshingly cool sound that blows away the summer heat.

It’s also known for being sung and danced to by children attending preschools and kindergartens nationwide.

With Marine Day falling on the third Monday of July, many people want to feel the vastness of the ocean even if they can’t go out.

The song includes ocean-themed quiz questions, making it a fun way to learn, so both adults and children can enjoy it together.

Creating a kamishibai (paper theater) with an “ocean” theme and reading it to kids is also recommended.

The melody evokes sandy beaches and seaside scenes, so you can feel the summer vibe even indoors.

Letting children freely dance to express the ocean sounds like great fun, too.

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mutō

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Ice stick puzzle

How to make a simple puzzle♪ All you need are popsicle sticks and stickers! Perfect for craft time with kids ✨ #earlylearning #play #athomeplay #educationalplay

Ice cream is delicious in hot weather.

Let’s make a puzzle using the sticks from finished ice cream.

Prepare your favorite photo or illustration, apply glue to the back, and attach the sticks.

Once it’s dry, cut it into pieces.

You can make several kinds and have fun racing to see who can finish the puzzle the fastest.

Making a sun catcher

How to Make a Suncatcher: A Beautiful Summer Hanging Decoration That Looks Like Stained Glass

A great indoor summer activity for families with children to try together is making sun catchers.

They’re beautiful pieces that let sunlight shine through and look like stained glass, helping create a cool, refreshing feel during the hot summer.

Place a template on black construction paper, secure it with clear tape, and cut out the shape.

Cover the cut-out area completely with colorful tissue paper, sticking it on without any gaps, then attach another cut-out sheet to the other side.

Punch a hole at the top, thread a string through, and it’s finished.

It can also be fun for parents and children or friends to teach each other any parts they’re unsure about.

How about creating pieces themed around “Tanabata” or “the ocean,” which are perfect for July?

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mutō

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Tanabata Slime Making

DIY Handmade Tanabata Slime ♪ How to Make a Galaxy Milky Way Liquid Monster

It’s a Tanabata activity using slime—something many of us have probably made in science class! At first glance it might seem like an odd combo, but slime has limitless possibilities.

Since you can mix colors, let’s create outer space with slime this time! Once you’ve blended lots of colors to form a beautiful cosmic hue, finish by making the Milky Way with sparkling glitter.

Because it will keep spreading out on a table, placing it in an acrylic case or similar container will keep it neat and tidy.

And at the end, it’s also fun to roll it up or squish it and play!

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Murakami Shinpei

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Tanabata Hand Game & Quiz

[Summer] Tanabata Hand Play [Hand Play by Da-san]

Let’s express the Tanabata story with hand play.

With the hope that everyone’s wishes will come true, let’s try it together.

Let’s also take on a Tanabata quiz.

It can be a chance to learn a little more deeply about this romantic festival.

Tanabata decorations and the Milky Way

Milky Way with colored construction paper ♪ Let’s make Tanabata decorations

Let’s use drawing paper to make a Milky Way inspired by the night of Tanabata.

It’s a simple Milky Way that you create just by making slits and pulling, but if you also attach Orihime and Hikoboshi, stars, morning glories, and more, you’ll have a lovely Tanabata decoration.

Enjoy a display that captures the feeling of the season.

A wish on five-colored tanzaku

Tanabata: Let's Make Five-Colored Tanzaku (Sendai Tanabata Ver.)

Each of the five-colored strips of paper hung on Tanabata bamboo decorations has its own meaning.

Red represents gratitude to one’s ancestors, white stands for rules and order, yellow for human relationships, green for improving one’s personal qualities, and purple for academics.

Let’s write our wishes on the appropriate color and make them come true.

Fountain Milk Carton

Milk carton craft: fountain. Easy craft you can make quickly, fun for playing in the bath.

Let’s make a simple fountain using an empty milk carton and a straw.

Create a mini fountain that spouts from holes in the straw and try it out in the bathroom.

If you make two, the water pressure will be stronger and it will feel more realistic.

Enjoy some water play this summer!

Handmade marble drop

Marble Drop: A DIY Anpanman Plastic Bottle Toy That Even Babies Love!

A handmade marble drop that babies to toddlers can’t get enough of.

Babies can enjoy it like a rattle, and little kids can play with it a lot using their wrists and arms.

To make it, cut a plastic bottle into three sections, punch marble-sized holes in round pieces of cardboard to fit between the sections, and fix everything in place with tape.

You can design characters or fruits on the cardboard, and decorate the plastic bottle with masking tape—so cute! Depending on your child’s age, crafting it together as a parent-child activity can make for a fulfilling time at home.

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miyabi

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