Childcare: Ideas for activities to enjoy in July
July brings alternating bouts of the rainy season and summer.
At nursery schools and kindergartens, you want to play a lot with the children, but there are surely days when the unpredictable weather makes preparation difficult.
So here, we’ve gathered ideas for games you can enjoy in July.
From activities related to Tanabata to fun water play, you can enjoy the season of July while feeling its atmosphere.
There are also games you can do indoors, so be prepared for rainy days, too.
Please use this as a reference to expand your repertoire and spend a fun time together with the children!
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[Childcare] Play ideas for July (71–80)
Snow play in midsummer
In the scorching summer, we can’t help but miss the cold winter snow, right? So, let’s give kids the gift of snow in the middle of summer! With a kit called “Gelli Snow,” you can touch snow anytime, anywhere—let’s play in the snow in midsummer! All you need besides the kit is water.
If you chill the water well, it feels even more like real snow! Just mix these two and your snow is ready.
It’s made to be safe for people and the environment, so you can play with peace of mind.
Let’s enjoy cool, comfortable playtime with midsummer snow!
Pretend play: running a stall at a festival
When you think of festivals, this is the scene that comes to mind—why not set up some food stalls and play shopkeeper? You’ll get that lively fair atmosphere packed with people and the excitement of “I wonder what kinds of stalls there are?” With yakisoba stands, takoyaki stands, shaved ice stands, and even ring toss, it’s hard to choose just one! Hang up some lanterns and have the kids wear happi coats to really set the mood, and it’ll be even more festive.
Best of all, it works great with either a small group or a big crowd.
Nature experience event
Events where you can experience nature, such as mountains and rivers, are often held during the summer vacation.
These days, there aren’t many chances to connect with nature, so be sure to take the opportunity over the break.
Just collecting or observing insects and plants is enough to get kids super excited.
Of course, it’s also perfect as a topic for their summer independent research project, so you can take care of homework at the same time.
colored water play
Summer offers many opportunities for water play that children love.
Since it’s an overnight daycare event, how about enjoying colored-water play, which we usually avoid because it can dirty their clothes? Prepare plenty of colored water and set out various shapes and materials of recycled containers—buckets, pudding cups, and empty tofu or yogurt containers—so children can scoop and play.
Simply touching the colored water is fun, but mixing colors to see what new color appears is another great way to enjoy it! It’s also fun to freely collect flowers and berries within the school grounds to make the colored water.
Colored water play
Children around kindergarten or nursery school age love playing with colored water, and many of you probably remember doing it when you were that age.
Morning glories bloom in the summer, making it the perfect season for color-water play.
Of course, it’s also great for simple activities using crayons or paints.
When you mix colored water, it turns into other colors, so it’s also recommended as a play activity that fosters various kinds of imagination.
Craft play
On a rainy day, how about engaging your hands and diving into some focused crafts and art activities? Drawing pictures, folding origami, making handicrafts… Adding elements that represent the rainy season can bring out a sense of seasonality.
For example, you could draw pictures inspired by rain-themed picture books or songs, or depict seasonal creatures like hydrangeas and snails through drawing or crafts.
It’s also a great idea to express your excitement for sunny summer days by drawing things you want to do in summer or a clear blue sky.
Even in the gloomy rainy season, creating something nice will surely brighten children’s moods!
A toy you can play with: Hopping Frog
How about making a bouncy frog toy that’s perfect for the rainy season? You’ll need two paper cups, construction paper, rubber bands, markers, scissors, double-sided tape, and so on.
Try engaging the kids first by asking questions like, “What animal loves the rain?” and then explain the steps.
The key features are big, bulging eyes and a wide mouth.
As long as you convey these points, let them design the rest freely.
Another nice thing is that this toy can be adapted into various others, like rockets.
