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Useful for childcare! Today’s recommended recreational activities, including fingerplay and games!

We’ve introduced some recreational activities to enjoy today.

Planning daily activities for a nursery or kindergarten can be quite a challenge when you’re constantly thinking, “What should we do today?”

In this article, fun recreation ideas are updated every day, so before you start brainstorming, take a quick look here!

Some activities require materials, but once you decide on what to do, things will move along smoothly—so please make good use of this article.

By enjoying a variety of activities every day, children gain lots of new experiences, and teachers can expand their repertoire, too!

Useful for childcare! Today’s recommended recreations, including finger plays and games! (21–30)

Friendship Activity Card

[Physical Activity Play] Friendly Exercise Cards [Childcare]
Friendship Activity Card

This is a recreation activity where you prepare cards that depict different exercises, and the children perform the exercise shown on the card they pick.

They need to remember in advance what each picture represents, but you can also see them cooperating with one another as they try to recall, thinking, “What was this again?” It’s also recommended to rotate the pairs of children as you go.

Let’s go on a beast hunt.

[You can also see childcare in action] Ms. Rio’s active play [Big Game Hunting]
Let's go on a beast hunt.

This is a game where you go catch wild beasts along with the song “Let’s Go on a Beast Hunt!” Of course, no real wild beasts appear.

The players themselves create the beasts.

With spears and guns in hand—and the great allies that are your friends—there’s nothing scary about wild beasts! At the end of the song, the teacher or another leader says the name of a beast.

Players then group themselves by the number of people that matches the number of characters in that beast’s name.

For example, for “raion” (lion), you would form groups of four.

It’s also a handy game for organizing people into groups.

Gesture Game

[For 5-year-olds] Can you really get into character?! Gesture game!
Gesture Game

A classic recreation game: charades.

A person looks at a card with a prompt and expresses it using only gestures, while the others try to guess what it is.

You must not talk—gestures only.

It might work well for adults to do the gestures and the children to watch and guess.

Try using prompts that are easy for kids to understand, such as distinctive animals or vehicles.

Dance and gymnastics

Ebi Kanix / Keropons [Official Music Video]
Dance and gymnastics

Dance and gymnastics are perfect for recreational activities! Songs like Keropons’ “Ebi Kanikusu,” Foorin’s “Paprika,” and dances from Yo-kai Watch, and more! It’s fine to pick any of the many songs that work for dances or exercises.

Everyone can have a great time by dancing together to songs everyone knows.

You can even perform them as-is at a sports day or school performance.

Marble Toss

[Traditional Japanese Games] Marble Target (Biidama Ate)
Marble Toss

Marble shooting with shiny, sparkling marbles! Each player lines up about 5–6 marbles, then flicks a marble to hit the opponent’s.

If your marble hits an opponent’s marble and the opponent’s marble falls down, both marbles become the property of the player who made the hit.

If, when you hit, both your marble and the opponent’s marble fall, any fallen marbles go to the player who made the hit, but the hitter’s own marble that was used to shoot is considered a draw and belongs to neither player.

If neither marble falls, nothing changes.

The player who runs out of marbles loses.