[Entertainment/Performances] Ideas for Performances to Introduce at Kindergartens and Nursery Schools—Great for Children and Staff
At kindergartens and nursery schools, there are often opportunities to include entertainment and performances for fun.
Many teachers are probably wondering what kinds of activities they can plan for the children.
This time, we’ve gathered ideas that are perfect for such entertainment and performances.
From activities that children can take the lead in and enjoy themselves to ideas that teachers and parents can perform for the kids, we’re introducing a wide range.
If your ideas have become repetitive and you’re looking for something new…
Please use this as a reference.
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[Entertainment/Performances] Ideas for performances to introduce at kindergartens and daycare centers! Activities for children and staff (71–80)
Hand game ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Clap’
Let me introduce “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” a game played to an English folk tune! In this activity, you touch different parts of your body with your hands in time with the song.
Infants can enjoy it as a bonding game with their parents, and preschoolers will have fun moving their hands quickly to different spots with the rhythm.
Because it’s a bright, upbeat song, performing it at an entrance ceremony would instantly make the atmosphere lively and festive.
Sing, play, and have fun together!
Hand play ‘The Flower Smiled’
How about enjoying a hand-play activity with the children’s song “Ohanaga Waratta,” which is perfect for spring entrance ceremonies? You can make flowers with your hands and open them with a pop—it’s a very simple and cute choreography.
Playing it together with children who may be nervous in a new place, or having teachers perform it, could help ease some of that tension.
This song might also convey that kindergarten or nursery school is a fun place.
Please consider it as a performance idea.
Magic “Pop-up Card”
One popular choice for party entertainment and performances is magic.
Among these, pop-out card magic like this is especially engaging because it lets the audience participate.
You prepare a sturdy paper bag with a hidden rubber band inside, and when you put the selected card into the bag while hooking only that card onto the rubber band, just that card pops out.
If you laminate the cards, they’ll shoot out with even more force, so give it a try!
[Dance] Idol
![[Dance] Idol](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5xXSbQSfzco/sddefault.jpg)
In the first half of 2023, it felt like there wasn’t a single day we didn’t hear YOASOBI’s “Idol.” Along with the song, the dance went mega-viral too, getting heavy rotation on YouTube’s dance covers and on TikTok.
I think plenty of people can do it even without formal dance training.
So how about we all dance to “Idol” together? Spend the first 10 minutes teaching anyone who doesn’t know it at all, and then it’s free dance time.
Try moving your body with whatever version you like—kid-friendly choreography, the original routine, anything goes.
It’s a sure-fire crowd-pleaser and a highly recommended party activity!
Sketchbook Quiz
Let’s flip through a few pages and take a peek! Here are some sketchbook quiz ideas.
They’re fun prompts that spark kids’ imaginations based on the visible clues.
Use the drawings and colors in the sketchbook as hints and give the quiz a try! Asking “What is it?” or “I wonder what this could be?” will surely deepen communication with friends and classmates.
Quizzes that incorporate visual elements are memorable and exciting.
Give them a try!
Sketchbook Theater
A sketchbook theater is where you use a sketchbook like a picture-story show to tell a story.
You can draw the story’s illustrations directly in the sketchbook, or make characters and other elements out of construction paper and paste them in.
Adding mechanisms—like characters that pop out, move, or images that change instantly like magic—will make it even more enjoyable for children.
If you’re doing it for a Tanabata event, try creating it with the Tanabata story as the motif.
Magic ‘Unbreakable Bill’
How about livening things up with a magic trick perfect for birthday parties and kids? Prepare a single bill, pass it through an envelope, and then snip away at the top with scissors… the kids will surely be amazed, right? But the bill isn’t cut—it’s still intact, leaving them wondering how! It’s a trick where a simple modification to the envelope makes it so only the envelope gets cut.
Pretend to cut through with the scissors, then have everyone cast a little magic spell together—it really boosts the sense of unity.
You can also do it with a drawing instead of a bill.
