Recreation for daycare centers and kindergartens: fun activities for children

stop ball throw

@secondhouseayumu

“Stop Ball Throw!” devised by an occupational therapist. As practice for stopping actions, it helps children develop the ability to look at letters and make decisions 💪🏻 ̖́- We design activities so that the children can enjoy playing every day while also receiving therapeutic support ✨Second House SaiyuyuAfter-school Day Service (for children with disabilities)Child Development SupportFun workplaceNow hiring / Looking for people who want to workRecreationSpeech-Language-Hearing TherapistOccupational therapistPhysical therapistNursery teacher / Childcare workerChildcare WorkerFun Play# developmental support (ryōiku)Shall we work together?

♪ Original song – Second House Saiyu-Yui – Second House Saiyu-Yui

Thinking while moving is fun! Let me introduce a stop-ball throwing activity.

You’ll need colored balls and cards with signs on them.

Place the colored balls on the floor and throw them into a basket.

When a “Stop” card is shown, everyone must freeze—even if they’re in the middle of throwing a ball.

Once kids get used to the rules, it’s fun to add similar-sounding words like “tomato” along with “stop.” Try adapting it while observing the children’s responses.

Quick Towel Grab Game

Sharpen your judgment and reflexes! Here’s an idea for a quick-draw towel game.

Prepare white towels and colored flags.

Pair up and sit facing each other across a table.

When the teacher raises a flag, quickly grab a towel.

Once you get used to the rules, it’s even more fun if you increase the towel colors to two or three.

While determining the color of the flag the teacher raised, search among the towels on the table for the specified color and pull it toward you.

Give it a try!

Touch-in game

Let’s develop tracking skills and a sense of force! Here are some ideas for a touch-in game.

These are perfect for nurturing visual concentration and control of force.

Children can aim to improve their physical abilities while having fun by keeping a balloon from falling and collecting colored balls from the floor into a basket.

Simple yet effective for building concentration, this idea lets kids play by controlling balloons and colored balls—making it a fun game that can be used in after-school day services!

Island of Hula Hoops

Work together with your teammates to reach the goal! Here’s an idea for a “Hula Hoop Islands” game.

Prepare five small hula hoops or flat markers.

Form teams of four, line up, and have the person at the front hold the hula hoops.

On the path from the start line to the goal, you may only step inside the hula hoops! When the front person runs out of hula hoops, they should call out to the person at the back.

Once they receive a hula hoop hand-to-hand from a teammate, they continue toward the goal.

It’s also fun to compete head-to-head as teams!

Hoop Helium Ring

Let’s play with a hula hoop! Here’s an idea called the Helium Ring.

All you need is a hula hoop.

Form a circle with 4 to 10 people and hold the hula hoop using only your index fingers.

If your team can work together to lower the hula hoop from chest height to the floor without anyone losing contact, you succeed! It’s a great game for building teamwork as you communicate and match your pace.

Adding a time limit makes it thrilling—the pressure contrasts with the slow, careful lowering of the hoop—so give it a try!