[Childcare] From small to large groups! A collection of fun game ideas

Word Search Game

Wordplay in a word-search game

The Word Hunt game is an activity where you look for a target word using cards of the 50 Japanese syllables.

Try choosing a word like “okashi” (sweets), “himawari” (sunflower), or “yōchien” (kindergarten), and have everyone find the letters one by one for fun! You can tailor the theme to your child’s age and development—incorporate shiritori (a word-chain game) to decide the next word, or turn it into a points-based game.

It’s great for learning while having fun, whether searching for letters, arranging them, or racing to find them quickly.

If you prepare a set of 50-syllable cards in advance, they’ll be useful for at-home time, as well as for activities in daycare or kindergarten.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

miyabi

Report a problem

Word-Collecting Game

What’s a word that starts with “ka”? A word-collecting game!

If you want to get kids interested in letters, how about a word-collecting game? It’s a great activity for building vocabulary, and all you need is paper and a pen! Make cards with a single hiragana character on each, and play by asking questions like, “What words start with ‘ka’?” To build the habit of thinking, it’s important not to rush them or offer hints too quickly—wait patiently for your child to answer.

Also, writing down the words your child comes up with helps visualize them and connect what they hear with written characters.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

miyabi

Report a problem

Moral Quiz

[Morality / Quiz] How would a 5-year-old solve it? Unexpected answers that bring both laughter and tears

Let’s think about problems that even adults struggle with together with children! Here are some ideas for moral quizzes.

These are quiz ideas that nurture critical thinking! There are no right answers in this quiz, so try incorporating it into activities with the goal of thinking together with the kids.

There isn’t just one way to think, so children can share their own ideas and have opportunities to listen to others’ opinions.

Through this quiz, they can learn about kindness, empathy, and the importance of following rules—what a wonderful idea for fostering a healthy heart and mind.

Disaster Preparedness True-or-False Quiz

Useful for preschools and kindergartens! True-or-False Disaster Preparedness Quiz for Kids [Bodybuilding × Japanese Red Cross Ishikawa]

Useful in disasters! Here are ideas for a disaster-preparedness true-or-false quiz.

What should we do if an earthquake happens while we’re playing? Don’t limit it to a monthly evacuation drill—let’s think about disaster preparedness with children on a daily basis.

The way to protect yourself differs depending on the facility’s layout and how the furniture is arranged.

By thinking together about basic actions and what’s dangerous, we can equip children with the knowledge to protect themselves when it matters.

Let’s prepare for disasters by imagining how to protect ourselves in various situations.

Rock-paper-scissors is fun even in the rain

[Play] Rock-Paper-Scissors & Recommended Activities [Nursery/Kindergarten]

Here are some rock-paper-scissors games you can enjoy indoors with kids even on rainy days.

“American Rock-Paper-Scissors” reverses winning and losing, so it makes you think.

“Body Rock-Paper-Scissors” is a game where you use your whole body to show rock, paper, or scissors.

It’s recommended to decide in advance what movements will represent rock, scissors, and paper before you start.

In “Newspaper Rock-Paper-Scissors,” you stand on a sheet of newspaper while playing; if you lose, you fold your newspaper once and make it smaller each time.

In “Rock-Paper-Scissors Train,” the loser lines up behind the winner, and the train of players gradually grows longer.

Try these and find your favorite rock-paper-scissors game!

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

mayumi

Report a problem