[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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[Childcare] Perfect for June! Indoor play ideas to incorporate into childcare (31–40)
Pull hoop play
@soramame.sensei Super easy to set up! Perfect for cooperative play with friends, too! 🥰✨Kotoba no Kyoushitsu Soramame Kids#SoramameKids#KagoshimaRehabilitation# developmental support (ryōiku)Child Development SupportAfter-school day serviceLet's play at home#Indoor Play#Indoor Play#IndoorPlay#HandmadeToysFocusPhysical play (exercise)Cooperative Play
♬ The comedian’s gallop, a classic foot race song for athletic meet(1265442) – Kids Sound
Compassion is the key to winning! Here’s a fun idea for a Pull-the-Hoop game.
Prepare a hula hoop or a ring made from newspaper, some plastic ribbon (suzuran tape), and start and goal lines.
The person moving inside the hoop should walk in step with the moving hula hoop.
Be careful to keep your feet inside the hoop and maintain your balance! The person pulling the hoop should control the speed and the amount of force to guide their teammate to the goal.
Give it a try!
Paper Plate Resist-Painting Umbrella
Here’s a perfect craft idea for June: a resist painting umbrella.
First, use crayons to draw umbrella patterns on the back of a paper plate.
Once you’ve finished the patterns, paint over them and enjoy the resist effect.
If you thin the paint with plenty of water, it will repel nicely from the crayon.
Cut a slit in the paper plate and overlap the cut edges to form the umbrella shape.
Make a small cut on one end of a straw and open it up; then tape it to the back of the umbrella-shaped paper plate, and you’re done! If you bend the accordion part of the straw, it becomes the umbrella handle.
Balloon decorations of hydrangeas and snails
How about spending some at-home time making a “balloon decoration” themed around hydrangeas and snails for the rainy season? Use colored construction paper to craft pieces inspired by hydrangea blooms in red, blue, purple, and more.
In Japan, snails tend to be brownish, but abroad there are snails with yellow-green shells and vivid patterns.
It could be fun to make snails like those, too.
Also, since it’s hard to stick things directly onto the smooth surface of a balloon, it’s a good idea to first cover the surface with washi paper or newspaper.
Rock-Paper-Scissors Train
Let’s play “Rock-Paper-Scissors Train,” a game where we make a long train! At first, everyone moves around freely while the music is playing.
When the music stops, you play rock-paper-scissors with the person in front of you.
If you lose, you connect by standing behind the winner.
The winner becomes (or stays) the train’s front and moves around with everyone attached behind.
Repeat this until there’s no one left without a partner.
The person who remains at the front until the very end wins.
Since the line will keep getting longer, play in as large a space as possible.
The pill bug fell over!
If you look carefully in parks and plazas, you can find pill bugs.
The way they curl up into a little ball when you touch them is amusing, and they’re a familiar insect that children know well.
Let’s play by imitating those pill bugs.
It’s a game you can play indoors even when it’s raining.
Since you sit and roll over, it’s also easy to incorporate as an indoor activity.
There are lots of fun motions: flapping arms and legs and rolling in time with a teacher’s or adult’s cue, doing finger plays, or crawling.
Let’s all become pill bugs together with your friends.
[Childcare] Perfect for June! Indoor play ideas to incorporate into childcare (41–50)
A rainbow made with torn paper collage
Here’s a craft idea for a rainbow torn-paper collage that will instantly brighten up indoor spaces during the gloomy rainy season.
Try making a collage by reusing colorful origami or scrap paper.
In torn-paper collages, you create pictures using small, torn pieces of paper, which helps develop finger strength through the tearing motion.
You’ll also use glue to attach the pieces, letting children enjoy the texture of the glue and learn how to use it properly.
Make a big rainbow collage to liven up your classroom!
Cat and Mouse
Which team will win? Here’s a game idea called Cats and Mice.
What you need are designated areas for each team.
Make the most of the room so the children can move around freely and play in a spacious environment.
Split into a Cat team and a Mouse team, and play a game where you try to return to your territory without getting caught by the teacher.
It’s a fun activity that makes kids burst into laughter, with the tension of listening carefully so they don’t mishear, and the exhilarating feeling of running away! In the end, which team will have more members? Give it a try!