[Childcare] Perfect for June! Indoor play ideas to incorporate into childcare
June brings the rainy season, when outdoor play tends to decrease in childcare settings.
With so many days of unfavorable weather, teachers often struggle because the children can’t play to their hearts’ content.
So, we’ve gathered ideas for indoor activities here! We’ll introduce a variety of games, from ones that get kids moving to quieter activities they can enjoy calmly.
The more play options you have, the more smiles you’ll see from the children! Please use this as a reference so both children and adults can enjoy fun times together.
Children’s creations are treated as “works,” so we refer to them as “seisaku (制作)” in the text.
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[Early Childhood Education] Perfect for June! Indoor play ideas to incorporate into childcare (61–70)
Sinking Game

This is the “Sinking Game,” where you pretend the room is the ocean and run around to escape from a shark.
The teacher plays the role of the shark to liven things up.
Lay out mats in the indoor ‘ocean’ to serve as ‘boats.’ When the shark shouts, “We’re sinking!” the children must jump onto the boat mats to escape.
You can also change the rules—for example, prepare ‘islands’ made from hula hoops.
If the shark shouts another word that starts with the same sound (chi) but isn’t “sinking” (chinbotsu), the children don’t have to move, which helps them practice careful listening.
OK even in the rain! Newspaper pool

Whether it’s outdoors on a sunny day or indoors on a rainy day, each offers its own ways to play and enjoy.
Here are some indoor activities using newspapers and balloons, as well as ideas that are perfect for rainy days.
With newspaper play, you can simply tear it, twist the torn pieces, or turn them into confetti—there are countless ways to have fun.
The same goes for balloons: not only can you inflate them and bat them around, but you can also combine them with newspaper for games or tie a string to them for different kinds of play.
On rainy days, it’s also fun to jump in puddles and listen to the sound of the rain.
In conclusion
We introduced play activities for childcare to try in June! June’s weather can be unpredictable, so it’s reassuring to expand your repertoire of indoor games to handle sudden rain.
The children might also look forward to the day, wondering, “What are we doing today?” Let’s brighten the gloomy rainy season with fun ideas.



