Lovely childcare

Fun activities with newspaper! Recreation games kids will love

20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.
Nursery Teacher Mom Writertsukada moe
After working for five years at an after-school childcare club and three years at a nursery school, I began working as a freelance writer. I’m a mother of two children. Inspired by playing the flute in the school wind ensemble in elementary school, I joined a jazz club at university. I’ve also incorporated ukulele and piano performance into childcare. Playing, laughing, feeling sad, feeling frustrated—through all kinds of experiences, I want children to grow.

We’ve gathered ideas for children’s games and activities using newspapers.

Newspaper play is fun to enjoy together with kids, so it’s easy to incorporate as an indoor activity at daycare centers, kindergartens, and elementary schools.

If it’s hard to get newspapers, try using advertising flyers or unwanted letters and notices instead.

Using colored paper will give the activities a different feel.

We’ve also included games that get kids moving a lot, so they can be active even indoors!

Fun games with newspapers! Recreation activities and games kids will love (11–20)

A seated race using newspaper!

@kazenomori.piconursery
You can move your body and have fun even indoors!#Nursery school A day at the nursery Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Childcare Childcare newspaper (newsprint)#Indoor Play #Pico Nursery
♬ Athletic Meet “Heaven and Hell” (No Introduction) – Shinonome

It’s great to have newspaper-based activities that are perfect for rainy days or when the weather isn’t nice.

This newspaper game is fun and has a competitive element, too! First, prepare a strip of newspaper connected lengthwise.

Have your child sit on a chair and place the newspaper strip at their feet.

Then, matching a running motion with their legs, they pull the newspaper toward themselves bit by bit.

The first one to pull the entire newspaper in wins.

You can make the strip longer depending on the child’s age to make the game more exciting.

Moving their legs provides exercise, and tracking the newspaper with their eyes engages their vision—so it’s a full-body activity we recommend.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Ring toss with newspaper

[For 4-year-olds] Let’s try it! Newspaper Play (Ring Toss)

Ring toss with newspaper

This is a ring toss game made from newspaper that’s popular in childcare settings.

First, roll a sheet of newspaper tightly into a long stick, then shape it and tape the ends together to form a circle.

That completes the ring.

If you want more durability, wrap tape around and around the ring.

Using colored tape makes it look bright and cute.

For the pins, plastic bottles filled with water are an easy option.

Decorating the pins with tape or stickers makes them look nice, and it turns the activity into a fun craft time, too!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Let’s play with newspaper comics

Let's play with simple handmade spinning tops! <Making a top with advertising flyers>

Let's play with newspaper comics

A fun toy for kids: the spinning top.

Wooden tops are the classic, but this version lets you make one out of newspaper.

Use a tightly rolled, narrow strip of newspaper for the axle, then wrap around it with a band-shaped strip folded from newspaper.

Even though it’s made of paper, it’s sturdier than you’d expect and spins beautifully! It takes a little patience, but it’s perfect as a kids’ craft, and it’s great to make together with friends or as a parent-child activity.

Use the color pages of the newspaper to make your top bright and colorful!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Playing train with umbrella bags

https://www.tiktok.com/@kichijyo/video/7412990683830553874

Cleaning up after tearing newspapers into pieces can be a hassle, right? This activity turns even the tough clean-up into play—a magical newspaper game.

After you’ve had fun ripping the newspaper, stuff the pieces into umbrella bags.

Once a bag is filled, tie the opening, and keep connecting the bags—before you know it, it transforms into a train! You get to enjoy the ripping play, then clean up by packing the newspaper into umbrella bags, and it even becomes a train—twice the fun, so it’s highly recommended.

Besides a train, you can also turn it into a wiggly snake and enjoy games like jumping over the moving snake or trying to catch it.

Give it a try!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Maze Game

@kazenomori.piconursery
It’s easy to do at home, so please give it a try!#Nursery school A day at the nursery Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Parenting Childcare Childcare newspaper (newsprint)Maze #Indoor Play #Pico Nursery
♬ Disco Yes – Tom Misch & Poppy Ajudha

Wouldn’t it be exciting to have a maze inside your room? Here’s an idea: stretch vinyl string or ribbon around the room, clip sheets of newspaper to it with clothespins to form walls, and build a maze.

Wherever there’s newspaper, that’s a dead end.

Can you make it safely to the goal? Aim for the goal by relying on your friends’ and teacher’s voices! Even if you get lost, you can lift the newspaper to see your friends’ faces, so you’ll feel reassured.

Calling out to each other will deepen your bonds and build teamwork, too.

And since the newspaper is attached with clothespins, it’s easy to change the course anytime!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem