[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!
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[Childcare] Play right now! No-prep recommended games (1–10)
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!
[Childcare] Play right now! No-prep recommended games (11–20)
Gesture Game
The gesture game is a game that tests your expressiveness and boldness! The rules are super simple: just express the given topic using body movements.
It’s best to proceed with themes that both the child doing the gestures and the children guessing are familiar with.
Some children may get nervous and struggle to move well in front of everyone, or be shy and reluctant.
Forcing them to participate can even create a fear of standing in front of others, so be sure to provide solid support, such as the teacher moving together with them.
Yakiimo goo-choki-pa
Yakiimo Guu Chii Paa is a hand game song that also lets you play rock-paper-scissors at the same time.
Since rock-paper-scissors is included in the lyrics, try playing it with the friend next to you or the teacher standing in front of you.
Rock-paper-scissors is no big deal once you’ve learned it, but until children memorize the rules—scissors beats paper, paper beats rock—it’s not necessarily easy.
Using a hand game song makes it easier to get used to the hand movements and to learn the rules of rock-paper-scissors in a fun way.
Hand-Hands Picture Book
“Otete Ehon” is a play activity where you pretend your palm is a picture book and create a story using only the child’s imagination.
Children’s creativity often leads to unexpected discoveries—it can make us happy and even surprise us! It offers a glimpse into their world and, above all, helps boost their creativity.
First, teachers should demonstrate as a model, and then have the children create their own stories.
While doing so, teachers should chime in skillfully to draw out the children’s narratives.
It’s wonderful to record the stories the children create at the end.
Give it a try!
seated sumo (sitting sumo)
Sumo is a sport you can enjoy without any equipment, but there’s a risk of injury, so it’s a bit worrying to have children do it.
However, if they stay seated, they’ll mostly just tip over to the side, and the risk of serious injury is low, so even small children who have trouble controlling their strength can enjoy it.
The rules are the same as regular sumo: the person whose body touches the ground first loses.
Even though it’s done seated, it can still be dangerous if there are objects around, so make sure to secure a wide, open space before playing.