[Childcare] Wordplay and game ideas everyone can enjoy together

balloon volleyball

Tap the pom-poms and balloons to build motor skills and balance! Here’s a balloon volleyball idea.

All you need is a net and some balloons.

It’s a fun way to get moving! With this simple game using a net and balloons, kids will try not to let the balloon fall, reacting quickly and working to send it into the opponent’s court.

It not only boosts physical ability, but also serves as a great activity for learning cooperation and teamwork.

Give it a try!

drawing relay

[Drawing Relay 🎨] A telephone game with pictures! If we fail… 🍽️😱 / epi.267 #ChoTokimekiSendenbu #ChoTokisen

Here’s a drawing relay that everyone can get excited about.

Split into teams, and only the first person looks at the prompt.

The first person draws the prompt and passes it on to the next player.

The next player interprets the drawing and conveys it to the following player with another drawing.

The team whose final player’s drawing matches the original prompt the fastest wins.

It’s best to use simple prompts that are easy for kids to understand.

You can enjoy this game indoors or outdoors, so grab some paper and felt-tip pens and give it a try!

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Anything Basket

[5-year-olds] Anything Basket!

Listen carefully, think carefully, and move! Here’s an idea for a “Anything Basket” game.

Are you familiar with Fruit Basket? In this game, participants are assigned the names of fruits like apple, banana, and orange.

The facilitator calls out, “○○ fruit!” and the children who have that fruit name quickly move to the seats designated for that fruit.

As a variation of Fruit Basket, let’s try “Anything Basket.” It’s a great way to develop good listening skills!

Cat and Mouse

[You can see the childcare in action] Teacher Rio’s active play [Cat and Mouse]

Which team will win? Here’s a game idea called Cats and Mice.

What you need are designated areas for each team.

Make the most of the room so the children can move around freely and play in a spacious environment.

Split into a Cat team and a Mouse team, and play a game where you try to return to your territory without getting caught by the teacher.

It’s a fun activity that makes kids burst into laughter, with the tension of listening carefully so they don’t mishear, and the exhilarating feeling of running away! In the end, which team will have more members? Give it a try!

Hiragana Transformation Quiz

[For Kids] Hiragana Transformation Quiz [Word Play, Hiragana, Educational Video, Ages 1–5, Japanese Language, Animals, Objects, Names]

Add one letter to a word! Here’s an idea for a Hiragana transformation quiz.

これは幼稚園児がひらがなに親しむための楽しい方法です！例えば、くま（kuma, bear）に「る（ru）」を付けると「くるま（kuruma, car）」になり、たこ（tako, octopus）に「い（i）」を付けると「たいこ（taiko, drum）」になります。

Through the quiz, children discover the fun of how a word changes by adding a single Hiragana character to a complete word, making wordplay more and more enjoyable.

This can help them expand their vocabulary, deepen their understanding of Hiragana, and boost their motivation to learn new words!

big-game hunting

[You can also see childcare in action] Ms. Rio’s active play [Big Game Hunting]

Get the fun going! Here are some ideas for the game “Mōjūgari” (Wild Beast Hunt).

It’s a great way to explore number concepts while playing, so we highly recommend it! The call-and-response is done by having children repeat the teacher’s or caregiver’s lines, so keeping it simple and easy to understand is key.

Rules: The teacher or caregiver tells the children the name of an animal.

The children then form groups and sit down in numbers that match the number of letters in the animal’s name specified by the teacher or caregiver.

Start with animals that have fewer letters, and once they get used to it, switch to animals with more letters so they won’t get bored.

Pun Quiz

[Quiz & Riddles] Pun Quiz / Take on the challenge with Mom! Quiz and riddle videos that 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds will love

It’s like a riddle and really fun! Here are some ideas for pun quizzes.

By using puns, you can create laughter while learning words—a unique idea.

For example, for the question “What card game is a tiger playing?” the answer would be “toranpu” (trump), a play on words in Japanese.

Try coming up with answers that work like puns.

Children will develop creativity by twisting words to produce funny answers.

It’s something you can enjoy with family and friends while experiencing the fun of wordplay, and it helps build vocabulary and a sense of humor too! Let’s think up questions together, from easy to a bit challenging, and find the answers while laughing.