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!
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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!