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 for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: 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 (1–10)

Goldfish scooping toy

Anpanman toys, water play, goldfish scooping, insect collecting?! Crab scooping? Lots of rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles. Toy Kids Toi Kids animation Anpanman

Goldfish scooping toy

Goldfish scooping, a classic at summer festival stalls, is actually easy to make and enjoy at home! Cut a milk carton into a long strip to form a ring, attach a handle made from another piece of the carton, stretch a drain net over it, and secure it with vinyl tape to make a poi (scooper).

Next, draw fish on a milk carton, cut them out, and make your goldfish.

You can also cut goldfish from construction paper and laminate them between layers of OPP tape.

Float the goldfish in water and scoop them up with the poi.

Since the poi won’t tear, even small children can enjoy it.

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Colorful ice play with pom-poms

http://www.lemon8-app.com

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.

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Easy colored-water play at home

[Perfect for Summer!] No Paint or Food Coloring Needed! Easy Color-Water Play at Home [Daycare/Kindergarten]

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!

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Let’s enjoy summer-only fun! Cool and refreshing play ideas (11–20)

Bubble play with soap

Did you know that if you shave a bar of soap, add water, and mix it, you can make foam like a cream? It takes a little time to mix, but that time can be a fun activity for kids.

Let them whisk it hard with an egg beater.

Once the foam is ready, pour it into cups and decorate with leaves and flowers to make “smoothies,” or touch it with your hands and enjoy the texture.

Soap isn’t good to ingest, so be sure to play within an adult’s supervision.

It might also be fun to add paint to give it some color!

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Water play & mud play

Summer-only fun! Let’s enjoy water play and mud play.

Many kids are usually told to avoid touching mud, but feeling the texture of mud and making mud dumplings is so much fun, isn’t it? After getting muddy, rinse off with water play to get clean—it’s fun, refreshing, and kills two birds with one stone.

You can make a big puddle in the sandbox, build waterways to play with, or fill a tub with water and enjoy some fishing.

Have fun exploring different stations and free play areas!

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So cold! Sensory play

[For 3-year-olds] Chilly sensory play!

So cold! Sensory play

Cool sensory play is a summertime classic.

When you touch something cold, the summer heat won’t bother you as much.

Speaking of sensory play, slime is a staple, but there’s also moon sand play and making pretend ice treats from ice.

Don’t just enjoy the finished results—take the opportunity to have fun with the making process, too.

For slime, gradually mix borax solution into liquid laundry glue.

To make moon sand, combine flour with baby oil.

For the ice treats, prepare colored water in various hues, insert popsicle sticks, and freeze them.

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Indoor ice play

[Childcare Activity] Indoor Ice Play in Summer (1): Ages 1.5 and up

Indoor ice play

Put small toys and water into an ice tray and freeze to make ice.

Once the ice is ready, transfer the cubes to another container and try pouring water over them or rubbing them with your hands to rescue the toys.

You can use plain water, or add paint or food coloring—it’s highly recommended.

As the ice melts, you’ll get colored water, and it’s also fun to see how the colors mix and change into new ones.

Wanting to get the toys out will inspire kids to think in different ways.

It’ll be exciting to see what ideas they come up with.

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