Recreation for daycare centers and kindergartens: fun activities for children
Children in daycare and kindergarten are full of curiosity and energy! Still, some teachers might struggle to come up with play ideas.
There are also days when the weather keeps you indoors.
Here, we introduce a variety of activities that children in kindergarten and daycare can enjoy! We’ve gathered fun activities—from dance, exercise, and games to crafts—that are suitable for babies through toddlers.
Active, movement-based play is a big hit, too.
Let children and adults play together and enjoy a wonderful time!
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Recreation for nurseries and kindergartens. Fun children's games (161–170)
Newspaper Rock-Paper-Scissors
A game you can play anywhere as long as you have a newspaper: “Newspaper Rock-Paper-Scissors.” Spread a single sheet of newspaper on the floor and stand on it.
Face a friend who’s in the same setup and play rock-paper-scissors.
The winner stays as they are; the loser folds their newspaper in half and stands on it again.
As you keep playing, the loser’s newspaper gets smaller and smaller.
It’s fine as long as you can stay on the paper without stepping off—standing on one foot is okay too.
The person who can’t keep standing and steps off the newspaper loses.
Flag-raising game
Haven’t you all played it at least once? It’s the “flag-raising game,” where you raise or lower your flags just as you’re told—like “Raise red, lower white.” When there are feints or the tempo speeds up, your head ends up in a jumble, right? Haha.
In kindergarten, let’s keep it simple and at a slow tempo so everyone can enjoy it.
Turning it into an elimination match could be fun, too!
Recreation for Nursery Schools and Kindergartens: Fun Activities for Children (171–180)
Read-aloud: “What if the protagonist of ‘Momotaro’ were an ‘oni’…?”
Read-aloud time: when I was a child, my parents and teachers often read my favorite picture books to me.
For very young children who can’t read yet, read-alouds are the main way to enjoy books.
Some kids want to hear the same favorite story over and over, while others keep asking, “Read this one and that one too.” These days there are many kinds of read-aloud videos as well, so why not search for and watch stories from picture books your child doesn’t own?
Evolution Rock-Paper-Scissors
A rock-paper-scissors game where you can enjoy the stages of human evolution.
Just playing regular rock-paper-scissors is boring, right? In this Evolution Rock-Paper-Scissors, you start lying face down.
While staying on your stomach, crawl around to find an opponent and play rock-paper-scissors.
The loser remains face down; the winner “evolves”: first to crawling on all fours, then—after the next win—to a high crawl without knees on the ground, and finally to standing upright on two legs.
The first person to stand on two feet wins.
Train play
Let’s all ride the train and move along the tracks to the signal of departure! The train can be made from hula hoops, strings, or cardboard.
Several people can get into one train and proceed without stepping off the tracks.
Lay paper or mats on the floor to represent the tracks and move along them.
If you have train-themed background music, it will make things even more exciting and the children will be delighted.
Rock-Paper-Scissors Train
This is “Rock-Paper-Scissors Train,” where you advance by playing rock-paper-scissors.
While the music is playing, everyone sings and goes around in circles.
When the music stops, you play rock-paper-scissors with someone nearby.
The loser goes behind the winner, places their hands on the winner’s shoulders, and the train sets off again.
Repeat this, and the person who ends up at the front at the end wins the game.
If you’re good at rock-paper-scissors, you can really show off!
Ton-ton Tunnel
This is an indoor game called “Ton-ton Tunnel.” An adult stands with their feet apart, and the child crawls around on all fours.
In time with the chant “ton-ton ton-ton tunnel,” the child crawls through the adult’s legs—the tunnel.
The chant speeds up and slows down, and if a chant other than “ton-ton tunnel” is called, the child gets caught and performs a gesture assigned to that word.
Examples include being lifted high in the air or a tickle punishment, but it’s also fun to make up your own ideas.