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 nursery schools and kindergartens. Fun children's games (41–50)
Tail tag game
‘Tail Tag’ is a game where you tuck a string, acting as a tail, into the back of your pants and try to snatch each other’s tails.
If you make it a team competition, it can get pretty heated.
The thrill comes from the tension: if you keep running away you can’t grab any tails, but if you move in to take one, another kid might snatch yours!
Musical Chairs
This is the classic children’s game, musical chairs.
Arrange chairs in a circle with one fewer chair than the number of players.
Walk around the chairs to the music.
When the music stops, sit in a chair.
Anyone who doesn’t get a chair is out.
Remove one chair at a time and keep playing until you decide the number one winner!
Card Theater
Do you know about card theater? Card theater is a way to play using special cards that transform—by changing shapes or combining with other cards—to become something else.
It’s like a pop-up book in card form.
For example, a card you thought was just a red circle flips over and… it’s an apple! You might also enjoy making your own in various colors and shapes.
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.