[Childcare] Let’s all play! A collection of recommended ideas for group play and games
Group play is essential in early childhood care, isn’t it?
But it’s easy to end up doing the same games over and over, and children can get bored.
So we’ve gathered a collection of group play ideas for teachers who have that concern.
We’ve included a variety of movement-based games that can be enjoyed both outdoors and indoors, so you can choose according to the day’s activity setting.
Another fun aspect of group play is that the level of excitement varies depending on the class’s age and the children’s personalities.
Try choosing while thinking, “Which games will suit my class?”
Let’s spend a fun time with the children.
- [For Kids] Indoor Fun! Large-Group Recreational Activities and Games
- [Childcare / Physical Play] Fun Activities to Get Moving
- Indoor games that different ages can enjoy! Ideas for fun everyone can get excited about together
- Ideas for indoor activities and group games that 5-year-olds like
- Recommended for 3-year-olds! Fun indoor activities and group game ideas
- [For 4-Year-Olds] A Collection of Indoor Play and Game Ideas That Get Everyone Excited
- [Childcare] Full of energy! Indoor activity ideas to get kids moving
- Let's play with a big group! A collection of fun children's recreational activities
- [Childcare] Play Right Now! Recommended No-Prep Games
- Ideas for indoor activities, games, and group play that 5-year-olds enjoy
- Indoor recreation for children: A roundup of exciting games
- Indoor games and recreational activities recommended for daycare and kindergarten
- Indoor Games for Small Groups: Exciting Recreational Activities
[Childcare] Let's Play Together! Recommended Group Play and Game Ideas (21–30)
Copycat contest
Here’s a fun “Copycat Race” you can enjoy on the spot.
Prepare small chairs or cushions to get started.
The teacher says, “What’s the copycat race today?” and then names an animal or vehicle for the children to imitate.
The children pretend to be that animal or vehicle and go around their own chair or cushion three times.
When they finish, they sit on their chair or cushion to reach the goal.
The first person to sit down wins.
The rules are simple, so it’s a great game for all ages to get excited and play together.
Mimic Animal Rock-Paper-Scissors
Here’s a game called “Copycat Animal Rock-Paper-Scissors” that helps children of different ages interact and become friends.
At the cue, “Copycat animal, rock-paper-scissors—go!” everyone strikes an animal pose.
If both partners choose the same animal pose, they earn 1 point; if they choose different poses, they spin around once on the spot.
It’s recommended that teachers and children decide the set of animal poses in advance.
You may see older children teaching the animal poses to younger ones.
Come up with lots of pose variations and have fun!
[Childcare] Let’s all play together! Recommended ideas for group play and games (31–40)
Elephant and Spiderweb
This is an activity to play along with the song “Zō-san to Kumo no Su” (The Elephant and the Spider Web).
First, choose one child to be the elephant, and have the other children sit in a circle.
The elephant walks around the circle while singing the song and selects seated children one by one.
When a child is chosen, they line up behind the elephant like a pretend train.
Once everyone has been chosen and is connected, finish by having everyone separate—like the spider web threads breaking—and flop down to lie or sit on the floor.
It’s a great way for children to communicate with each other, so give it a try!
Balloon Rally
One highly recommended group activity is the balloon rally.
At first glance it looks like a simple game, but it requires more than just strength.
In this game, everyone holds hands in a circle and keeps tapping a balloon up while moving toward a designated goal—so teamwork is essential.
Kids can physically experience how to control the force they use to hit the balloon and how to cooperate with their friends.
Try adjusting the difficulty by changing the size of the balloons to match the children’s ages.
Fish Flipping Game
The Fish-Flipping Game treats teachers and children lying face down as “fish,” and the goal is to flip them over to cook the other side.
After flipping one person, you move on to flip the next fish.
If a fish is big and hard to flip, everyone should work together to turn them over! If you play as a team competition, those acting as fish must resist being flipped.
This play helps develop a sense of engaging the whole body and can improve core balance.
Be sure not to pull hair, clothing, or anything below the elbows.
To prevent injuries, we recommend playing on a mat.
Thunder Game
Let me introduce a thunder-rock-paper-scissors game where moving your body to the chant is lots of fun.
Have the children lie down on their backs.
The teacher says, “Goro goro goro—DOkkaaan!” and the children should quickly roll their bodies to hide their belly buttons by turning over onto their stomachs.
The key is to roll fast so your belly button doesn’t get ‘taken.’ You can make it even more exciting by changing the volume of your voice or the speed of the chant.
Once everyone gets used to it, try switching the direction they roll to keep it fun!
Rice Field Tag Game
Tanbo-oni is a tag game where you draw a large “rice field” character (a grid like the kanji 田) on the ground with thick lines and play tag inside it.
It’s best suited for children aged 4 and up so they can understand and enjoy the rules.
If you play indoors, using vinyl tape works well.
The rules: run across the four square spaces formed by the 田 grid to escape from the tagger, and you’re out if you get tagged.
The tagger can only move along the lines.
Stretching your arms to catch others and running around to escape helps develop balance, quickness, and overall motor skills—making it a fun game!
