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[Childcare] Play Right Now! Recommended No-Prep Games
Curious and energetic kids love to play!
If you’re wondering what fun activities to do with them, this is a must-see.
Here are some recommended games you can play right away with no prep needed.
From fingerplay and quizzes to rhythm games and active play, we’ve got a full lineup to get kids excited!
Games that don’t use any tools help develop children’s imagination, thinking skills, and communication abilities.
Since no prep time is required, you can start anytime you have a free moment—that’s part of the appeal.
Try incorporating lots of these at kindergarten, daycare, or home, and enjoy fun times with the kids!
[Childcare] Play right now! No-prep recommended games (1–10)
Signaling Game
A signal game where you can learn traffic light rules! Jump forward on green, jump backward on yellow, and stop on red.
If any color other than these three is called, run back to the start line while escaping from the chasing teacher.
Increase the difficulty by throwing in feints with unrelated words like “morning,” or by gradually speeding up.
Learning traffic light rules is essential, but children who don’t go out often may have few chances to see signals and cross the street.
Let them absorb the rules naturally through the game.
Thunder Game
This is a thunder game to protect your belly button from the thunder god! Have the children lie on their backs while the teacher walks around them making thunder sounds like “goro-goro” (rumble).
The moment the teacher shouts “Dokan!” (boom!), the children should quickly roll over onto their stomachs to protect their belly buttons.
Use different words like “Dobon” or “Dosun,” and add feints to boost the children’s concentration.
Make sure to secure a wide, open space before playing, as it can be dangerous if hands or feet hit neighboring children when they roll onto their stomachs.
It fell, it fell.
Ochita Ochita, which begins with the calls “Ochita, ochita!” “What fell?”, has long been known as a children’s game.
You change your pose depending on what has fallen, and if you strike the correct pose, you pass! For example, if it’s an apple, you pose as if placing it on your palm; if it’s a fist, you cover your head.
Prepare several word-and-pose combinations in advance.
If something other than the designated words “falls,” you must not react.
Start with about three types, and as everyone gets used to it, gradually add more variations to make it harder.
True or False Quiz
Games with many choices can be confusing, and children who aren’t confident in their answers may become reluctant to participate.
With a true-or-false (O/X) quiz, they just choose one or the other, so everyone can join in and have fun.
Start with questions the kids can definitely answer correctly, then gradually increase the difficulty by adding trick questions and the like.
You can have them raise their hands for “O if you think it’s true” and “X if you think it’s false,” but if you have a large space, designate zones—O over here and X over there—and have them move to their choice to help prevent boredom.
Thunder God has arrived.
Kids are sure to burst into laughter at the silly poses! This is a hand-and-body game to protect various parts of your body from the Thunder God.
To the song, you hide the designated parts like your “belly button” or “head.” Start with one spot, then gradually increase to hiding two or three spots at the same time.
It’s also great practice for learning body parts.
Some children may not know the story about the Thunder God taking your belly button.
It’s a good idea to combine the game with a read-aloud of the tale.
Color-finding game
The “Color Hunt Game” helps children learn color names and boosts their observation skills and curiosity! The rules are very simple.
In the preschool or kindergarten building or playground, children look for a specified color, and whoever touches that color first wins.
For example, if the teacher says “green,” the children touch green items like tree leaves or a green wall.
You can freely adapt the rules—such as having children return and give the teacher a high-five after touching the color, with the first to do so being the winner.
If running around the facility could be dangerous, please keep a close, calm watch over the children.
riddle
Fill spare moments when the kids might get bored with simple riddles! Try ones like, “What animal is inside a hat?” or “What kind of chair is cold?” Choose questions that match the children’s ages.
If they’re still learning hiragana, writing the riddles on a whiteboard may help them notice the clues by reading the characters.
If the riddles are too easy or too hard, they’ll lose interest, so have the teacher who knows the children well pick just-right questions.
Beef Tongue Game
Many kids love yakiniku.
Use their interest in grilled meat to play the “Gyū-Tan Game”! Keep the rhythm “gyū, tan, gyū, tan, gyū, tan, tan,” and clap on each “tan.” If you mess up the order or fall behind the rhythm, you’re out! Once everyone gets the hang of it, try speeding up the tempo or increasing the number of “tan”s to make it more challenging.
It’s sure to have your kids totally hooked!
Who am I? game
The “Who am I?” game where you find the answer by asking repeated questions! The teacher pretends to be something and answers the children’s questions.
The children piece together those answers to figure out the solution.
Since having no hints at all is difficult, proceed by giving easy-to-understand gestures and clues.
It’s recommended to choose familiar topics, like items in the room or things children usually touch every day.
How the teacher gives hints will likely be important, too.
Word association game
A word-association game where you answer with related words in order is great for building creativity! Say whatever comes to mind—like “banana,” “yellow,” “lemon”—and if someone gets stuck, help them by using gestures or mouth movements.
It’s a perfect game for kids who are learning the names of colors and foods.
At first, don’t set a time limit; once they get used to it, try playing to a rhythm.
Even adults often find it hard to come up with answers on the spot.
You might be surprised by the children’s creativity—teachers could end up being the ones amazed!