Fun summer activities for kids: ideas you’ll want to try in childcare and at home

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.
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.

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 you’ll want to try at daycare and at home (61–70)

cutout

@thi.nano154
Cutting out shapes is so fun!!!!!!!#chiina no dagashi (cheap, nostalgic Japanese snacks and candies)#vlog #StayAtHomeSquad #Japan
Classic Medley 2019 – Pianica Magician

Try your hand at a traditional pastime! Here are some ideas for katanuki (cutout art).

Katanuki is a common sight at festival stalls.

How about giving this long-loved activity a try? Use a needle, toothpick, or drawing pin to cut out various designs imprinted on a flat, board-like candy.

For children’s safety, you can also adapt the activity using construction paper or other materials.

With a bit of creativity, your customized katanuki will get kids excited and engaged.

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5 Handmade Toys to Enjoy the Summer Festival

@hoikushi_bank
5 Summer Festival Games That Went Viral on Instagram!!Support for childcare workers #Production Video #Production video Ideas for childcare #HandmadeToys
♬ Nagisa – imase

Five handmade toy ideas to enjoy at a summer festival that shine in various booths! When you think of a summer festival, many people picture exciting fair stalls and prizes, right? Ideas like watermelon smashing, goldfish scooping, a fishing booth, ring toss, and target shooting are all wonderful.

Each is handmade with a warm feel and clever touches, so be sure to give them a try.

You can already picture the children’s sparkling smiles as they play with excitement.

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Handmade Sweets Scoop

@niconico_mama
What treat should I put in it tomorrow, I wonder?#Nursery school Childcare Handmade Summer Festival Childcare Parenting Educational Life with children work Production
♬ POKÉDANCE – Pokémon [Official]

Enjoy the festive vibes of a Japanese fair! Here are some ideas for a DIY candy scooping game.

These ideas are perfect for anyone who wants to create an exciting corner that will thrill kids, just like at a festival.

You’ll need empty capsules, pipe cleaners, tape, masking tape, glitter origami paper, handkerchiefs or scarves, and cushioning material.

If using candy is difficult, try putting origami creations or illustrations inside the capsules instead.

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A waterless yo-yo

@niconico_mama
That make-and-play thing😍💖 It’s guaranteed to be a hit at your at-home festival play!!!💖 There’s no water inside, and it’s wrapped all around with washi tape, so even if it breaks, it won’t be a shock 🤭✨ It’s easy to make and super fun to play with 😆🙌 Not just washi tape—try vinyl tape or patterned duct tape… round stickers or your favorite character stickers… There are so many ways to customize it 😍🙌 Make them in lots of colors and have fun—💕 —————————— Here’s what I used: • Balloons • Round stickers, washi tape • Rubber bands —————————— ☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆ Thank you always for your comments and likes 😊 Some people even tell me, “I made it!” and that makes me so happy ☺️♥️ I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s “We played!” and “We made it!” posts 😆✨✨ ☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆Summer Festival Yatai (food stall)Childcare Childcare Parenting
♬ POKÉDANCE – Pokémon [Official]

Enjoy decorating it too! Here’s an idea for a no-water yo-yo.

How about making the popular water yo-yo from summer festival stalls without using any water? The bouncy, springy feel when you flick it with your hand is so fun! You’ll need balloons, washi tape, rubber bands, and stickers.

Inflate the balloon, wrap it with washi tape, then attach a rubber band—and you’re done! You can also use your favorite washi tapes or decorate with stickers to make it even more exciting!

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Ring toss set

@hoiku.labo
Usable at summer festivals! Make-and-play ring toss set ✨ Preschool craft, childcare worker, ideas for childcare, together with children, easy craft, ring toss, summer festival, let’s make and play, preschool teacher
♪ Original Song – Hoiku Kyujin Labo – Hoiku Kyujin Labo | Nursery Teacher Job Changes and Helpful Information

Let’s make and play! Here are some ideas for a DIY ring toss set.

These tips are perfect when you want to set up a ring toss corner but don’t have the equipment.

All you need are toilet paper rolls, origami paper, and foil origami.

Just wrap your favorite origami paper around a toilet paper roll to create a target.

Making and setting up lots of targets will make it even more exciting.

For the rings, twist strips of foil origami to form loops.

Give it a try!

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