[Childcare] Wordplay and game ideas everyone can enjoy together

Illustration Shiritori

[Wordplay] Illustration Shiritori ②

Let’s have fun playing shiritori using illustrations.

Even very young children can easily imagine the names of things when they have pictures, so it’s highly recommended.

Start by checking the names of the illustrations together, then begin the game.

If you link the pictures the children drew through shiritori, it will likely deepen their understanding of and interest in words even more.

Try incorporating various categories—such as friends’ names and toy names—so the children can feel familiar and enjoy the game, adding creative twists as you play.

[For 5-year-olds] Word Collection Game

[5-year-olds] Let’s all work together to search! Word play

In this game, everyone on the team decides on a word based on the specified number of characters and then searches for that word among the hiragana cards for the Japanese syllabary.

Not only does it nurture children’s imagination as they think of words, but it also naturally fosters cooperation through interactions with friends.

Working as a team lets them encounter words their friends know, which greatly broadens their vocabulary—one of the game’s key appeals.

Once they get used to it, it could be fun to gradually increase the number of characters or specify categories like animals or vehicles.

Vegetable Song

[♪ Song Anime] Vegetable Song (Vocals: Itchy & Naru)

This song, whose lyrics directly express the names and traits of vegetables, is a hand-play activity that even very young infants can enjoy.

You can bump your fists together with a “ton-ton” or raise your index fingers with a “pi-pi,” and freely enjoy the gestures while keeping time with the pleasant rhythm of the words.

It’s also fun to arrange the song by having everyone find vegetables and fruits that don’t appear in the lyrics in picture books or field guides and adding them in.

As you sing it repeatedly, you’ll likely remember lots of vegetable names and their characteristics!

kakeru kakeruTsubasa Suzuki / Sho Fukuda

[Hand Play • Word Play] Kakeru Kakeru / Tsubasa Suzuki & Sho Fukuda [Childcare/Play Songs/Parenting]

Even a single word like “kakeru” has many meanings and uses—such as putting on glasses, covering with a blanket, or sprinkling salt—and this song lets you discover them enjoyably through music.

Its repetitive melody sticks in your head, and the choreography is easy to follow, so five-year-olds are likely to learn it right away! It’s also fun to customize the song by swapping “kakeru” for another polysemous word.

It could be a great way to get children to notice and feel familiar with words in their daily lives.

Let’s bring the character into the house!

@sanyoukougyou

Move three pieces and put the character inside the house.TranslationIf you know the answer, head to the comments.TranslationTranslationTranslation#matchstickMatchstick Quiz

♫ Original Song – Sanyo Kogyo Co., Ltd. [Official] Uncle TikTok – Sanyo Kogyo Co., Ltd. [Official] TikTok

Inspiration is key! Here’s an idea for getting the character into the house.

If you don’t have matchsticks at school or at home, you can substitute thin magnets or pens.

In this activity, the idea is to move three matchsticks to get the character into the house.

Deciding which matchsticks to move and where to place them will likely nurture children’s thinking skills.

And when they solve the puzzle, it can boost their sense of accomplishment and self-esteem.

Copycat contest

[Kids' Exercise You Can Do at Home] Copycat Race (For Preschoolers to Lower Elementary)

Here’s a fun “Copycat Race” you can enjoy on the spot.

Prepare small chairs or cushions to get started.

The teacher says, “What’s the copycat race today?” and then names an animal or vehicle for the children to imitate.

The children pretend to be that animal or vehicle and go around their own chair or cushion three times.

When they finish, they sit on their chair or cushion to reach the goal.

The first person to sit down wins.

The rules are simple, so it’s a great game for all ages to get excited and play together.

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Mimic Animal Rock-Paper-Scissors

[Kids’ Exercise You Can Do at Home] Copycat Animal Rock-Paper-Scissors (Preschool to Lower Elementary)

Here’s a game called “Copycat Animal Rock-Paper-Scissors” that helps children of different ages interact and become friends.

At the cue, “Copycat animal, rock-paper-scissors—go!” everyone strikes an animal pose.

If both partners choose the same animal pose, they earn 1 point; if they choose different poses, they spin around once on the spot.

It’s recommended that teachers and children decide the set of animal poses in advance.

You may see older children teaching the animal poses to younger ones.

Come up with lots of pose variations and have fun!

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