Lovely childcare

Let’s enjoy summer-only fun! Cool and refreshing play ideas

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, many teachers are surely thinking, “I want to have fun with the children through cool activities!” So here are some ideas to enjoy summer-specific play.

There are classics like water gun games to enjoy with friends, as well as sensory play using mud, foam, and ice.

Hands-on experiences nurture children’s curiosity, so these are highly recommended.

There are also activities children love—like bath bombs and slime—that can be done both outdoors and indoors, so be sure to incorporate them into your childcare.

Stimulate the children’s five senses and enjoy the summer to the fullest!

Let’s enjoy summer-only fun! Cool and refreshing play ideas (41–50)

Bubble play

[Foam Play] How to Make Bubbles! Have Fun with Colored Water × Foam! Make the Most of Your Time at Home!

Bubble play

Fluffy bubbles are fun both to touch and to look at, aren’t they? How about adding bubble play as part of your water activities during the hot summer? You can make bubbles by mixing finely grated bar soap with water, and then whipping it up further with a foaming net.

Adding sugar helps it foam well.

It’s also great to have the kids think about how to make sturdy bubbles as they experiment.

Once you’ve made the bubbles, try different ways to play: put them on your body, gently blow them into the air, or combine them with colored water to make pretend drinks topped with “cream.” Enjoy the many ways to play!

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playing laundry (pretend laundry)

The Elephant class (2-year-olds) enjoyed pretend laundry play.

playing laundry (pretend laundry)

At home, the washing machine usually does the laundry, but let’s try a pretend-play version that imitates hand-washing.

Prepare something for each child to “wash,” like small items such as hand towels.

In a basin, get them wet, apply soap, scrub, rinse thoroughly in clean water, wring them out, and then hang them with clothespins.

While you play, talk about how the washing machine does a whole sequence from washing to spin-drying, and how people used to wash clothes by hand.

If you play on a sunny day, the laundry will dry quickly and you can even bring it in when it’s done!

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Hard yet soft? Magic water

[Fun Experiment] Hard yet soft? How to make water that seems like magic

Hard yet soft? Magic water

Let’s make “magical water” that’s both hard and soft, and have fun exploring its texture together.

All you need this time is water and potato starch! Just mix these two and your magical water is ready.

The simplicity of both the ingredients and the steps is a nice bonus.

When you apply a strong force straight down on the surface, the liquid becomes firm, but when you touch it gently, it turns soft—this strange and fascinating behavior is sure to captivate kids.

You can just picture them enjoying the sensations by touching it in all sorts of ways.

Try adjusting the ratio of potato starch to water or adding color to expand the play even more—highly recommended.

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fishing

I wonder if we can catch a lot? A fishing game with magnets and capsules♪

fishing

You often see fishing on TV and many children know about it, but aren’t there actually few who have experienced it themselves? It might be difficult to do real fishing depending on the location, but how about trying a version you can enjoy indoors? Attach clips to the fish and a magnet to the fishing rod so you can “catch” them.

You can make the fish out of recycled materials, like toilet paper rolls, capsule toy containers, or empty lactic acid drink bottles.

You could also use materials like raffia tape to represent water and arrange the fish on top.

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In conclusion

We introduced activities unique to summer.

There were lots of cool, refreshing things to enjoy precisely because it’s so hot.

Summer’s intense heat often means spending more time indoors.

It would be great to keep a good rhythm each day by balancing active, physical play with focused, sit-down activities.

And don’t forget about the teachers’ health management as well as the children’s! Let’s beat the heat and enjoy summer to the fullest.