[Childcare] May Activities: Spring Outdoor & Indoor Play
In May, when temperatures begin to rise little by little from the warmth of spring, the fresh greenery is beautiful and it’s a season when you can spend lots of time in nature.
However, as the latter half of the month approaches the rainy season, there are more days with unstable weather, and you’ll likely spend more time indoors.
So this time, we’ll introduce activities that suit May’s climate and can be enjoyed both outdoors and indoors.
We’ve gathered a variety of May-recommended activities—from games that let kids move their bodies to their hearts’ content, to ways to savor nature, pretend play, traditional children’s songs, and even activities perfect for Children’s Day.
As children gradually get used to their new routines around this time of year, we hope you can deepen their connections with people and nature while sharing fun moments together!
- [Childcare / Physical Play] Fun Activities to Get Moving
- Fun for Children’s Day! A Collection of Performance and Play Ideas Recommended for Early Childhood Education
- [Childcare] Feel May! A special feature of fun craft ideas to make
- [May] Have Fun with 3-Year-Olds! Craft Ideas Perfect for May
- [Childcare] Recommended games to play in the warm month of April
- Ideas for indoor activities, games, and group play that 5-year-olds enjoy
- [Childcare] DIY Ideas for Circuit Play
- [Childcare] A collection of quizzes related to May! Let's think about them together with the children.
- [Childcare] Play Right Now! Recommended No-Prep Games
- [Autumn] Seasonal play ideas to incorporate into childcare: Let’s connect with nature both outdoors and indoors
- Indoor games and recreational activities recommended for daycare and kindergarten
- [Childcare] May events and activities at nursery schools and kindergartens
- [Childcare] Fun Spring Activities: Ideas for Nature, Movement, and Crafts
[Childcare] May Activities: Spring Outdoor & Indoor Play (21–30)
Colored water play
This is a colored water play activity using thin, soft tissue paper.
It’s a great indoor activity, especially around the end of May when the rainy season begins.
First, tear the colorful tissue paper you’ve prepared.
Let the children experience the feel and sound of tearing.
Next, put the torn tissue paper and water into an empty plastic bottle.
When the color from the tissue paper dissolves and tints the water, it’s done.
It’s also fun to mix the colored waters to create new colors.
Give this soothing activity a try and enjoy the vivid hues.
Koinobori Pattern Search Game
A carp streamer pattern-hunting game themed for Children’s Day is sure to get everyone engaged and excited! Let’s add patterns to the laminated carp streamers.
Draw a card and find the specified pattern.
It’s best to start with easy tasks and then try more difficult ones.
If you’re playing with a group, decide the order and take turns.
Searching for a designated pattern among many different ones helps improve concentration, making it a highly recommended activity.
Popular song medley in May
Let’s create a Singing Day where everyone gets excited with their favorite songs! I’ll introduce a popular May song medley.
Don’t children get familiar with various nursery rhymes at the preschool every day? If you ask each child, “What’s your favorite song?”, you’ll probably hear a wide variety.
Let’s also mix in songs from popular anime and movies to make Singing Day even more fun! It would be wonderful to make handmade microphones and costumes, too.
The charm is that everyone can enjoy it freely in a relaxed, open atmosphere!
Spring Birdwatching
When spring comes, you’ll spot birds more often on your walks.
Many kids can’t help but wonder, “What kind of bird is that?” when they hear birdsong.
As the weather warms up and the skies are clear, why not go out and look for wild birds on a walk? Birds gather not only in nature-rich areas but surprisingly often in city parks, too.
In spring, migratory birds come to Japan to lay eggs and raise their young.
If you happen to see them building nests, consider yourself lucky.
Let’s help children discover that, beyond the birds they usually see, there are many different kinds out there.
from top and bottom
Ue kara Shita kara is a traditional children’s song you can sing and play while shaking a cloth up and down.
It’s a game that can be enjoyed from many angles—sending breezes, touching the fabric, and more.
Gently draping a thin, soft cloth over the children can elicit all kinds of reactions.
It’s perfect for livening up indoor play in May when it’s raining and you can’t go outside.
Taking turns covering each other with the cloth and calling out to one another also creates opportunities for communication.
Why not incorporate this springtime-appropriate activity into your childcare setting?
one bamboo shoot
A game themed around bamboo shoots, a spring seasonal ingredient: “Takenoko Ippon” (One Bamboo Shoot).
Players split into an Oni (the puller) who “pulls out” the bamboo shoots, and the bamboo shoots themselves.
The game starts with the Oni’s chant.
In response to the lyrics, “Give me XX bamboo shoots,” the players acting as bamboo shoots react.
If the Oni manages to pull someone out from the line, they bring that person back to their side.
Kids can enjoy a variety of full-body movements—clinging to teachers or friends, being carried, and more.
Give this unique game a try; it’s fun both indoors and outdoors.
inverse signal
Opposite Signal is a game where you move in the opposite way of the caller’s instructions.
It’s an activity you can enjoy anywhere, from indoors to outdoors, with no preparation needed.
The caller gives prompts like “Run” or “Sit.” Everyone present should walk when told to run, and stand when told to sit.
Anyone who makes a mistake sits down and cheers on the remaining players.
While moving your body and playing, it also serves as training to develop judgment and thinking skills.
Give this game a try—it’s perfect for the warm, pleasant days of spring.