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 (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!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Colored water & ice play

[For 2-year-olds] Perfect for summer! Colored water and ice play

Colored water & ice play

Playing with colored water can involve using paint or plants and flowers, but this time let’s try using tissue paper.

Tear the tissue paper into small pieces, put them in a clear paper cup, and pour in water.

Then, mix it with a spoon, kneading it gently to make colored water.

Prepare tissue paper in various colors and enjoy each color on its own or the shades you get by mixing them.

Once your colored water is ready, how about everyone playing juice shop together? You’ll surely have a beautiful lineup of colorful “juices.”

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem