[Childcare] DIY Ideas for Circuit Play

suzuran tape curtain

Let’s play by crawling through a fluttery curtain made from Suzuran tape! Tie Suzuran tape onto a string and fringe it finely to add volume, and you’ll have a breezy-looking curtain.

Install it at a height where children can crouch or crawl under it so they can pass through and play.

If they’re wearing masks or headpieces, they might get caught at heights they can normally pass, so they’ll also develop a sense of distance by thinking, “How much do I need to crouch to get through smoothly?”

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PET bottle circuit

With its colorful look, it really lifts your spirits! Let me introduce an idea for a PET-bottle circuit.

All you need are 2-liter plastic bottles, tape, and paint.

Many people find it challenging to prepare all the equipment for circuit activities.

This idea is appealing because it makes use of plastic bottles, so there’s no need to buy new equipment.

Try creating a course where you walk across the tops of plastic bottles filled with brightly colored water, keeping your balance as you go!

Sponge block circuit

[Asunaro Nursery School] Circuit Play (Gather!! Nonoichi Kids)

Let’s build your own course! Here are some ideas for a circuit using sponge blocks.

What you’ll need: sponge blocks, mats, a balance beam, and masking tape if necessary.

Sponge blocks come in a variety of shapes—rectangles, squares, triangles, and cylinders! Use a rich variety of sponge blocks to create your circuit course.

If you combine a balance beam and mats within the course, it’s sure to get kids excited and engaged.

A circuit for jumping over cardboard boxes

[You can do this at home too ✨] Circuit movement play 🎶 Let’s use things you have at home and move our bodies together!

You can prepare this with materials you have at home or in your classroom! Here’s an idea for a cardboard jumping circuit.

You’ll need cardboard, scissors, a pen, a long floor cushion, and masking tape or vinyl tape.

Draw large illustrations on the cardboard and cut it in half.

Jump over the cut cardboard pieces and make your way to the goal.

With repeated actions like squatting and jumping, your whole body will warm up nicely.

Circuit of/with polypropylene ribbon (Suzuran tape)

Tanabata Circuit! [Ages 0–2] | Minami Senrioka Yui-en [Nursery/Kindergarten Event]

Let’s go through a curtain swaying in the breeze! Here’s an idea for a circuit using ribbon tape (suzuran tape).

All you need is ribbon tape.

Cut the tape into long strips and attach them to make a ribbon-tape curtain! Some children will use their hands to push the strips aside as they move forward, while others will dash through the curtain dynamically—showing their unique personalities.

For cautious children, reduce the amount of tape so they can see what’s beyond the curtain, which will help them feel more at ease.

A circuit made with pool cues

[Ages 0–5] Seven Types of Indoor Educational and Physical Play! [Nursery School/Kindergarten]

Let’s play while getting creative! Here are some circuit (obstacle course) ideas you can make with pool noodles.

All you need are pool noodles and a utility knife or scissors.

Cut the long pool noodles in half and use them for the course! Place the halved pool noodles on the floor and include a tightrope-walk section where kids crawl or walk along them.

You can also roll balls along the top of the noodles, or connect them into circles to make ring shapes—great ideas to try!

A circuit where you role-play as a ninja

[3-year-olds] Ninja Training! ~Circuit Play~

Nin-nin! Swift and stylish moves! Here are some circuit ideas for becoming a ninja.

Prepare a ninja transformation set made from construction paper, a balance beam, a jump rope, mats, and so on.

The video introduces circuit ideas for three-year-olds, but with a few tweaks, many of them can be uniquely adapted for two-year-olds as well! Let’s use the balance beam, jump rope, and mats to fully get into ninja mode.

Wearing a ninja dress-up set to boost the mood is a great idea, too.