[Childcare] DIY Ideas for Circuit Play
On rainy days when you can’t go outside, kids have so much extra energy, don’t they?
That’s when circuit play is highly recommended.
Circuit play, which involves a variety of whole-body movements, is perfect for kids who love to be active!
Through play, you can naturally promote the development of their motor skills.
In this article, we’ll introduce DIY ideas you can use for circuit play!
From tunnels and balance beams to stepping stones, there are plenty of ideas you can make with everyday recyclables and items from the dollar store.
Choose options that suit your children’s ages and developmental stages, and give them a try.
Once you build them sturdily, you can reuse them again and again—not just for everyday care, but also for sports days, parent observation days, and many other occasions.
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- [Childcare] Simple DIY ideas you can use for pretend shops
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- Fun activities with newspaper! Recreation games kids will love
- [For 0-year-olds] Fun indoor play ideas using raffia tape (suzuran tape)
[Childcare] Handmade Ideas for Circuit Play (21–30)
A circuit made with pool cues
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!
Milk Carton Circuit
@kazenomori.piconursery Super easy! The recipe is in the comments!#Nursery school#HandmadeToysTranslationLifehackChildcareNursery teacher / Childcare worker#Indoor Play#Milk carton#Pico Nursery
Shuwa-shuwa Honey Lemon 350ml – Sharou
Make it with everyday materials! Here are some circuit course ideas using milk cartons.
All you need are milk cartons and tape.
After cutting the cartons, connect them using an accordion fold.
They can be used as lane dividers, and it’s also fun to incorporate them into activities by putting organza fabric or colorful balls inside the cartons.
For children with allergies, using juice or tea cartons instead of milk cartons is a safer option.
Give it a try!
Circuit of/with polypropylene ribbon (Suzuran tape)
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.
Cardboard kart circuit
Let’s have fun with decorations too! Here are some ideas for a cardboard kart circuit.
What you’ll need: a kart made from cardboard, hats made from construction paper, crayons or colored pencils, coloring pages, double-sided tape, building blocks, and balloons.
Some kids may have played go-kart or racing kart games before, right? Hop into a cardboard kart and race along a course made from blocks! It’s also great to arrange it as a parent-child activity.
Since decorating the cardboard karts is part of the fun, the making process looks exciting too!
A circuit where you role-play as a ninja
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.