Fun summer activities for kids: ideas you’ll want to try in childcare and at home
In the hot summer, children spend more time indoors both at daycare and at home.
For those wondering, “What can we play indoors with the kids?”, here are some perfect summer activities.
Games using water and ice are especially popular this season.
Cool sensations and hands-on activities are exciting for children.
It’s also a great experience to help them feel connected to nature or to incorporate traditional summer events—these memories really stay with kids.
Try these ideas at home, in daycare, or in kindergarten.
Through summertime activities, let’s help children create lots of fun memories!
Fun summer activities for kids: Ideas to try in daycare and at home (1–10)
Colored water play
Children around kindergarten or nursery school age love playing with colored water, and many of you probably remember doing it when you were that age.
Morning glories bloom in the summer, making it the perfect season for color-water play.
Of course, it’s also great for simple activities using crayons or paints.
When you mix colored water, it turns into other colors, so it’s also recommended as a play activity that fosters various kinds of imagination.
Handmade toy made from masking tape (yojo tape)
What can we make? Here are some ideas for DIY toys using masking tape.
Masking tape is probably something you have on hand both at preschool and at home.
Let’s try making toys with it.
You could even set a time limit and improvise—how exciting! What would you make? What kinds of ideas would children come up with? Just thinking about it is exciting, isn’t it? In the video, it’s used like tunnels and pockets.
Give it a try and incorporate it into your playtime.
stag beetle catching
In the lush summer mountains, nature becomes a paradise for insects.
If you carefully search the trunks of trees that ooze sap, you can find various kinds of stag beetles.
Once you find places where stag beetles might be hiding, try different methods—like inserting a stick into gaps in the bark or tapping branches with a stick.
Colorful ice play with pom-poms
Have fun without using colored water! Here’s a colorful ice play idea using pom-poms.
It’s easy to try because you can get all the materials at a 100-yen shop.
This time, let’s use a round ice tray and colorful decorative balls to enjoy some cool, playful ice activities.
Just put the decorative balls and water into the round ice tray, freeze it, and you’re done! You can play by touching the ice as is, or enjoy watching it melt in the bath.
Try out different ways to play.
Easy colored-water play at home
No paints or food coloring needed! Here are some easy ideas for colored-water play you can try at home.
When your child asks to “play with colored water,” you might not have paints or food coloring on hand.
This time, let’s try a simple colored-water activity using washable markers! You’ll need water, washable markers, copy paper cut into strips, and plastic cups.
Color the paper strips with the washable markers, then gently swish the paper in a plastic cup filled with water—the color will transfer into the water!
Eurhythmics with Water Play
Let’s have fun with expressions that feel like playing with water using props! Here are some ideas for “Rhythmic Water Play.” Eurythmics is a music education method that develops expressive skills by moving the body to music.
The charm isn’t just in moving to the music—it’s also in using items to express yourself.
This time, let’s try creating the feeling of water play indoors by using things like hula hoops and organza.
Through pretend play, children might notice subtle nuances within everyday movements.
Puni Puni Fruit
They look just like the real thing! Here are some ideas for squishy, jiggly fruits.
Have you heard of nano tape? It’s a kind of tape with super strong adhesion that can be reused, and it’s apparently great for kitchens and DIY projects.
Let’s use this amazing nano tape to make squeezies.
In the video, bananas, watermelons, strawberries, and grapes are recreated to look glossy and bouncy, making you want to craft them with your kids.
Definitely give it a try!
At-home games you can play with a towel
Let’s play with everyday materials! Here are some at-home play ideas using towels.
Towels are familiar items for both adults and children in daily life.
This time, let’s try playing with towels you have at your preschool or at home.
If you put a bag inside an open towel and roll it up tightly, it transforms into a ball that makes a crinkly sound.
If you tie the ends of a bath towel, it turns into a sled for dolls.
It’s fun how the shapes change, isn’t it? It’s a wonderful idea that lets children use their creativity while they play.
Summer festival pretend play
Recommended for 4-year-olds! Here are some ideas for a pretend summer festival.
Summer festivals are often held as local events or at schools and kindergartens.
This time, let’s plan a summer festival play where 4-year-olds take the lead.
They can crumple newspaper with both hands to make candy apples and takoyaki, and use them for decorations.
There can also be stalls like a shaved ice shop using cotton and cups.
Through this pretend summer festival, children can interact across age groups and even learn about money—great ideas with lots of possibilities.
Goldfish scooping made with construction paper
Let’s make it with simple steps! Here are some ideas for making a goldfish scooping game out of construction paper.
Wouldn’t it be fun to recreate the goldfish scooping you see at festivals and food stalls at your preschool or at home? This time, let’s try making a goldfish scooping game using construction paper and paper plates.
You’ll need long, thin strips of colored construction paper, paper plates, a stapler, scissors, cellophane tape, glue, and stickers.
Make the goldfish out of colored paper and the poi (scooping paddle) out of paper plates.
Even without water, putting them in something like a kiddie pool should create the right atmosphere.