Lovely childcare

[Childcare] Letter and word games: Introducing fun activities using hiragana

9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

Incorporating hiragana and characters into play has very positive effects on children’s growth, such as nurturing their vocabulary and expressive abilities and promoting the development of their communication and thinking skills.

It would be wonderful if everyone could deepen their interest in letters and words while having fun through a variety of games.

So this time, we’re introducing wordplay and hiragana play ideas recommended for children.

We’ve gathered a wide range of hiragana activities—from games that require no preparation and can be started anywhere right away, to activities that involve moving the body and cooperating with friends.

There are also handmade toys that let kids learn letters with excitement, so be sure to check them out.

[Childcare] Letter and word play: Fun games using hiragana (11–20)

Color hunt to the rhythm

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Color hunt to the rhythm

This is a game where you look for colors posted on the wall and point to them.

Move your body to the music and announce the colors during the song.

While singing, move to the rhythm and look for the colors on the wall.

Even if you find where they are, pointing is not allowed while the music is playing.

When the music stops, everyone points to the colors on the wall together on the count of “Ready, go!” If you post lots of colors and increase the number, you can play longer.

It’s a game that’s fun with small or large groups.

It’s especially recommended for children who are just starting to learn colors.

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Hiragana Collection Challenge

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Hello! This is Cocoskip. In today’s video, we’re doing a Hiragana Collection Challenge. How many words that fit the theme can we gather? 🧐#cocoskip Skip here Child Development Support After-school day service #Child Development Support (Japan)#After-school day service Exercise Therapy #Indoor Play #CocoSkipChallenge simulation Play Hiragana Play I love the admins.#IWantToBeOnTheRecommendations
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Here’s a Hiragana-collecting challenge that’s fun both solo and with friends.

Spread out cards on the floor, each with a single hiragana character.

Give a prompt, then collect the hiragana cards that fit the prompt to form words.

Get a stopwatch ready and time how many minutes it takes to complete each word.

Start with just one prompt at first, then gradually increase the number of prompt words to make it more exciting.

It’s also a great game for building concentration and critical thinking, so give it a try!

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In conclusion

We introduced ideas for playing with hiragana.

There were lots of activities that help children deepen their interest in letters as they play.

It would be great if we could suggest games that everyone can enjoy, adapting them to the children’s ages and stages of development.

Let’s naturally incorporate them into casual everyday conversations and spare moments, and encourage the children’s world of words to keep expanding.