Lovely childcare

[January Childcare] Traditional New Year’s Games! A Collection of Ideas to Enjoy with Children

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.

Are you wondering what kinds of activities to include in childcare in January? January is a perfect time for children to get familiar with Japanese culture through traditional games and seasonal recreation.

Here, we introduce New Year’s themed play ideas such as invisible-ink drawings (aburidashi), lion dance (shishimai), and shell matching (kai-awase).

Traditional games are full of elements that nurture children’s creativity and concentration.

They offer many ways to play—moving their bodies with friends, using their hands to make things, and more.

These ideas are also perfect for events in childcare settings, so please use them as a reference!

[January Childcare] Traditional New Year’s Games! A Collection of Fun Ideas with Kids (1–10)

How to make a fun Fukuwarai

Fukuwarai Craft Full of Stimuli for Growth☆ January/Winter Craft Book: “We Made Funny Faces” ~For 2- and 3-Year-Olds~ [Nursery School/Kindergarten]

How to make a fun Fukuwarai

Here’s a craft idea for “Fukuwarai,” a traditional New Year’s game.

This version uses a daruma motif, letting you enjoy the game while you make it.

First, glue a daruma body—cut from construction paper—onto a backing sheet.

Then cut out the parts for the eyes, nose, mouth, eyebrows, and cheeks.

Put on a blindfold and enjoy playing Fukuwarai by placing the parts on the face.

Glue the parts where they land, and decorate the empty areas of the backing sheet with flowers.

Finally, use crayons to draw the flower centers and the daruma’s patterns to complete your craft.

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New Year’s games that even 0-year-olds can enjoy

New Year’s Play for 0- and 1-Year-Olds

New Year’s games that even 0-year-olds can enjoy

It’s fun to play basketball indoors, isn’t it? For balls, inflate balloons and prepare plenty of them.

If you add vinyl tape to the surface to mimic a basketball design, it will really boost the atmosphere.

For the hoop, take a pool noodle from a 100-yen shop, cut it lengthwise in half, form it into a circle, secure it with masking tape, and stick it to the wall.

You can adjust the height to match the players’ level, so once everyone gets used to it, raise the difficulty and enjoy making it more game-like.

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From infants and toddlers! Traditional games everyone can enjoy together

We all tried New Year’s games and traditional pastimes [This Week at Potofu, Hiratsuka]

From infants and toddlers! Traditional games everyone can enjoy together

Since it’s the New Year, a traditional Japanese holiday, it’s a great time to try out various classic games.

Kagome Kagome remains a popular game even today.

It’s fun to sing the song with its unique atmosphere, and guessing who is sitting directly behind you is thrilling and exciting.

Hanai-chimonme is also enjoyable, with the hand-holding, leg-lifting poses and the song.

And with soap bubbles, take your time to watch them gently float and drift far away.

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[January Childcare] Traditional New Year’s Games! A Collection of Fun Ideas to Enjoy with Children (11–20)

A picture-matching card game playable from age 3

@hoiku.labo
[New Year’s Craft Play] A matching picture card game that kids can enjoy from age 3! 🎍Childcare Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Kindergarten Teacher Childcare job openings Childcare Column #NurseryTeacherThings #IWantToConnectWithChildcareWorkers #Nursery School Craft #DaycarePreparation Nursery School Practicum Childcare student Aspiring childcare worker Childcare Job Lab Nursery teacher skills Job change activities #JobChange #nursery_teacher_job_change Nursery teacher employment Production #Craft work Production drawing paper #ConstructionPaperCrafts Poster Board Craft New Year’s craft
♬ Ditto – NewJeans

This is a “picture matching card” game that even small children can enjoy.

Beforehand, prepare several pairs of cards by drawing the same picture on two sheets of paper and mounting them onto colored cardstock.

It’s nice to use New Year’s motifs for the designs—for example, kadomatsu, spinning tops, lion dance, Mt.

Fuji, osechi cuisine, and mochi.

Place all the cards face down and turn one card face up.

Players take turns choosing one card to flip over; if it matches the revealed picture, they win that round; if not, it’s the next player’s turn.

It’s a fun way to build observation skills, memory, and communication!

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Fun for New Year’s! Spinning Top Play

@heknsb2
Make parenting a little more fun! Childcare ideas from a former nursery teacher mom 🏠 @moeco_asobi Hello! I’m Moe 🧸 ˊ˗ This time, I made: [Fun for New Year’s! Spinny Top Play 🧡] I’ll keep tailoring posts to match your parenting and childcare concerns, so please stay tuned 🙏 ———————————————— Skills kids build through play 💪 1) Finger dexterity → Helps with everyday and learning skills like using chopsticks and pencils, buttoning clothes, and tying shoelaces! Using fingers a lot also stimulates the brain, positively affecting emotions and learning functions 🌱 2) Sense of color Choosing colors and drawing freely helps affirm a child’s sense of self and nurtures ideas that won’t lose in the AI era! 3) Imagination for how to play Simple tops can be adapted in many ways depending on your ideas! Examples → Top battles → Games (fortune draw, rock-paper-scissors) → Pretend shops, New Year’s play corners [What you need ☕️] - Paper plates (18 cm this time) - Plastic bottle caps (2 per person) - Glue, hot glue gun, adhesive, etc. - Things to decorate with (stickers, crayons, stamps, origami, etc.) [How to make ✂️] 1) Use a pencil to trace cap circles on both sides of the paper plate 2) Draw your designs 3) Attach the caps with glue (If at home, strong double-sided tape can just about work!) 4) Let dry and it’s done! [Play tips ⭐️] - It’s fun to combine things other than bottle caps too! - Small paper plates spin as well! ———————————————— Just by watching: - Tomorrow’s parenting gets a little easier 👶💖 - Parenting goes more smoothly 🍼 ˊ˗ See other posts here ➡️ @moeco_asobi For questions, DM me 💌 I’d be happy if you follow or leave a comment 🧸🧡 ———————————————— #momlife #parentingstruggles #lifewithkids #craftplay #athomeplay #craftactivities#ChildcareWorkerMomParenting New Year's games #NewYearGames January Crafts #WinterIndoorPlay
♬ Happy New Year – SONGSCULPT

Let’s make original spinning tops and have a contest to see whose spins the longest.

Prepare paper plates, plastic bottle caps, colored pens, and glue.

Draw illustrations on the paper plate using colored pens or crayons.

If you use a variety of colors and draw pictures or patterns, you’ll enjoy how the colors and designs change when the top spins.

Glue two plastic bottle caps together, one on top of the other, and it’s done.

Hold the cap part with your fingers, give it a strong twist, and it will spin very well.

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Perfect for New Year’s events! Mochitsuki (rice cake pounding) fun for parents and children

Speaking of New Year’s, it’s all about mochi, isn’t it? Freshly pounded mochi is something every child should experience at least once.

Traditional mochi pounding with a mallet and mortar takes strength, so it’s mainly a job for adults, but if possible, let the kids have a few turns—thump, thump—and give it a try.

Flipping the mochi quickly as the helper, tearing the soft, steaming mochi into pieces, and preparing the soy sauce, kinako, or walnut sauce will all feel novel to children and become precious memories.

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How to make a flapping toy

@taniguchi_s_y_d
Japanese traditional toy #diycrafts #tutorial #NewYearGames Tradition
Original Music – Taniguchi Shoyudo Co., Ltd. (Taniguchi Matsuosho-do)

The flip-flop toy, where connected boards topple over in a chain with a flapping motion, is fun to watch and makes satisfying sounds as it falls.

Let’s get glue, scissors, mat board, and origami paper ready and make one.

After preparing several pieces of mat board cut into rectangles, connect them with paper strips.

The key when connecting them is to attach the strips straight.

Be careful not to stick the strips in the wrong positions when linking the boards.

It’s also recommended to draw faces on the boards so their expressions change as they flip back and forth.

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