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!
- Indoor games and recreational activities recommended for daycare and kindergarten
- [Childcare] Play Right Now! Recommended No-Prep Games
- [Childcare / Physical Play] Fun Activities to Get Moving
- Popular recreation ranking for toddlers
- [Kindergarten/Daycare] Games and Performances for Fun Events
- Useful for childcare! Today’s recommended recreational activities, including fingerplay and games!
- Fun activities with newspaper! Recreation games kids will love
- Indoor Games for Small Groups: Exciting Recreational Activities
- [Childcare] Full of energy! Indoor activity ideas to get kids moving
- [Parent-Child Rec] Recreational activities and games for parents and children to enjoy together—also great for sports days.
- [Childcare] Recommended for 3-year-olds! Play ideas everyone can enjoy
- [Autumn Activities] Nature Play and Craft Ideas for Fall to Incorporate into Childcare!
- Indoor games for parents and children: fun activities that use the body and the mind
Recreation for nursery schools and kindergartens. Fun children's games (41–50)
Plastic Bag Carpet Race
Can plastic bags become a carpet? It’s the “Plastic Bag Carpet Race.” One person stands on a plastic bag placed on the floor.
Another person crouches down and holds both ends of the bag.
At the starting signal, the person on top jumps, and while they’re in the air, the person below moves the plastic bag forward.
The person on top must land back on the bag, so you can’t move it too far at once.
Let’s inch our way toward the finish line!
Command Game
This is the “Captain’s Orders” game, where everyone must follow the captain’s commands.
First, choose one person to be the captain.
The game begins with “These are the captain’s orders,” followed by an instruction.
If the captain says “Stand up,” everyone must stand.
Wait in suspense to see what the captain will command next.
If you become the captain, decide in advance what instructions you’ll give.
National Flag Mnemonic Song
Do you remember what different national flags look like? This is the “Flag Memorization Song,” which helps you learn them.
It’s nice that you can have fun memorizing while singing, isn’t it? Listening to it makes me think Japan’s flag is easy to remember.
The song highlights the colors and design features.
It even includes flags that look similar but are slightly different, making it enjoyable to watch as a memorization song.
Mickey Mouse March
A hand game that kids love.
There are all kinds, and even little ones who aren’t very good at singing can imitate the moves and have fun, which is nice.
Let’s sing and play one of these hand-game songs to the Mickey Mouse March.
You add one finger at a time, and from one to five they’re all Disney characters.
Kids love the characters, so it really gets them excited.
Rhythm Game ‘The Greengrocer’
“Yaoya-san” is a rhythm game where you clap only when you hear the name of something sold at a greengrocer.
It can be tricky to make a snap judgment about whether an item is sold at a greengrocer, but it’s fun once you try it.
To get the children to listen closely, you can add emphasis or accents to your words, and it also seems fun to say similar-sounding words that are easy to trip them up with.
Dance “Paprika”
Paprika, sung by Foorin, a group of elementary school boys and girls, is frequently aired on NHK’s E-TV and is one of the songs familiar to children.
It also drew attention for being written and composed by Kenshi Yonezu.
The choreography for Paprika was supervised by Professor Kazuhiko Nakamura, just like the exercise “Boombaboorn!” from the NHK program “With Mother,” and it’s highly recommended because it’s very easy for kids to learn.
Cat and Mouse
It’s a kind of tag game where players split into a Cat Team and a Mouse Team, take positions in their respective zones, and start on a cue.
After the chant “ne, ne, ne~,” if the next word is “neko!” (cat), the Cat Team dashes to catch members of the Mouse Team.
The Mouse Team is safe if they can escape to the line drawn behind them without being caught.
It’s a sweaty-palmed game that tests your burst speed.