Lovely childcare

[Childcare / Physical Play] Fun Activities to Get Moving

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Nursery Teacher Mom Writertsukada moe
After working for five years at an after-school childcare club and three years at a nursery school, I began working as a freelance writer. I’m a mother of two children. Inspired by playing the flute in the school wind ensemble in elementary school, I joined a jazz club at university. I’ve also incorporated ukulele and piano performance into childcare. Playing, laughing, feeling sad, feeling frustrated—through all kinds of experiences, I want children to grow.

Physical activity play is essential in early childhood education, isn’t it?

Here, we introduce ideas for outdoor play and activities you can do indoors.

Use these examples to incorporate a variety of movement games and help children grow strong in both mind and body.

Many of the activities don’t require special equipment, so you can feel at ease even without preparation.

When adults join in the fun, everyone can enjoy a great time together.

Create joyful moments filled with laughter.

Let both children and adults move their bodies a lot and play with energy!

[Childcare & Physical Play] Fun Activities to Get Moving (111–120)

Long rope jumping

Hiroba November Issue: “It’s Exercise Playtime!” Long Rope Play!

Long rope jumping

When you want to be active but playing outside is difficult, try using a long jump rope.

You can get moving while having fun by jumping over a rope laid on the floor or moving around without stepping on a rope that wiggles like a snake.

Once you get used to the movements, you can add variations—throw in feints or lift the rope slightly off the ground.

The energetic children hopping around will be all smiles, and the watching teacher is sure to smile too.

If your preschool doesn’t use indoor shoes, please remove socks to prevent slipping and falling.

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Ball tag

[Childcare] Ball Tag #tag #nurseryteacher #outdoorplay #childcareideas #kindergarten

Ball tag

Let me introduce a tag game using a soft ball, called “Ball Oni.” Once the tagger (oni) is chosen, the tagger chases the others while holding the ball.

The tagger throws the ball at the players who are running away.

The player who gets hit by the ball becomes the next tagger and they switch roles.

Running and throwing the ball provide full-body exercise.

When playing Ball Oni, be sure to use a soft ball and explain safety rules beforehand, such as not aiming at the head or face.

If you’re in a large area, it might also be good to set boundaries for where players can run.

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Seated tag

[Indoor Active Play] Have Fun with Seated Tag [Elementary School Kids]

Seated tag

“We can’t play outside because of the rain, but I still want to move my body as much as possible today!” In times like these, here’s a childcare-friendly game we recommend: “Seated Tag.” First, the children start in a seated position.

The rule is that they must keep their bottoms on the floor at all times.

Set a time limit, then play tag while staying seated.

Since it doesn’t involve running, it’s safe and fun to play indoors.

It also helps build leg strength as kids move using their legs and bottoms, so be sure to add it to your play repertoire!

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Hoop Tag

https://www.tiktok.com/@soramame.sensei/video/7269713021449047314

Let’s play by predicting the ogre’s moves! Here’s a fun idea for a hula hoop tag game.

Prepare nine small hula hoops and an easy-to-see marker for the person who’s “it.” On the count of “1, 2, 3,” jump to move into an adjacent hula hoop! You can move the length of one hoop vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

“It” also moves on the cue, so the key is to avoid landing in the same hoop as “it.” Predict the ogre’s movements and try to escape to the end!

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Elephant and Spiderweb

The Sumire class (3-year-old preschoolers) is enjoying the group game “Elephant and Spider’s Web.” May 2016.

Elephant and Spiderweb

This is an activity to play along with the song “Zō-san to Kumo no Su” (The Elephant and the Spider Web).

First, choose one child to be the elephant, and have the other children sit in a circle.

The elephant walks around the circle while singing the song and selects seated children one by one.

When a child is chosen, they line up behind the elephant like a pretend train.

Once everyone has been chosen and is connected, finish by having everyone separate—like the spider web threads breaking—and flop down to lie or sit on the floor.

It’s a great way for children to communicate with each other, so give it a try!

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