[Childcare / Physical Play] Fun Activities to Get Moving
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!
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[Childcare & Physical Play] Fun Activities to Get Moving (51–60)
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.
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
@omiyamichinoko Perfect timing 😂 If you don’t know what the helium ring is, check the previous post!#Omiya Michinoko Nursery SchoolNursery teacher / Childcare worker#HulaHoopHappeningcoincidenceRecommendationHelium ring
Nanikore Chin Hyakkei Theme (Pictures at an Exhibition) – Soundworks
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!
Hoop ball throwing
@omiyamichinoko♪ Classical Medley 2019 (Cover) – Pianica Magician
Hula hoops become the targets! Here’s an idea for a game where you throw balls at hula hoops.
You’ll need two hula hoops, masking tape, and small colored balls.
First, stick masking tape onto the hula hoops to create targets.
Next, throw the colored balls at the hula hoop targets.
When the balls fly just right, they’ll stick to the masking tape with a satisfying plop—it’s really fun! Competing to see how many colored balls stick should make it even more exciting.
[Childcare / Physical Play] Fun Activities to Get Moving (61–70)
Red Light, Green Light: the daruma who delivers the ball
Hula hoops are safe bases! Let me share an idea for a “Red Light, Green Light” style game where you deliver a ball.
You’ll need more hula hoops than the number of children playing, plus a ball.
You have to move forward to carry the ball, but if you step outside a hula hoop, you get caught! It’s a unique game that lets kids enjoy that thrilling tension.
Even if you’re thinking about which hula hoop to move to, you might end up choosing the same one as a friend.
It seems great for developing quick decision-making skills, too.
Give it a try!
Ball-grabbing game
https://www.tiktok.com/@bear_kids_official/video/7462181871137361153Let’s control our actions by following the instructions we hear! Here’s an idea for a ball-grabbing game.
In this game, while touching the body part instructed by a teacher or guardian, you quickly react to the word “ball” and pick up a ball placed on the floor.
Once the players get used to it, you can increase the number of instruction words.
For example, start with three words like “head,” “tummy,” and “bottom,” and feel free to adjust the rules according to the child’s level of understanding and responsiveness.
Ball Battle
@koutokugiht Let’s build all kinds of skills while having fun with a ball battle! Staff of the same age gave it a try 😆#Takatoku#GiftedToreraChild Development SupportDevelopmental SupportAfter-school day service#After-school day serviceKoutoku TikTok SquadCompanyCompany#IWantToGoViralCompanyCompany IntroductionDaily life #AtWork #Shikoku #TokushimaStaffDailyLife #CorporateAccountMid-career recruitmentNow Hiring #Service Manager for Child Development Support #Manager Responsible for Child Development Support #Nursery Teacher #Child Guidance Staff #Physical Therapist #Occupational Therapist #Speech-Language-Hearing Therapist#PT#OT#STRecruitmentRecruitmentInterviewNew staff memberNewcomer
♬ Original song – Koutoku TikTok Corps – Gifted Trailer
Build decision-making skills through play! Here’s a ball battle game idea.
For children, decision-making is an essential skill in everyday life and learning.
By developing the ability to think things through and choose, and to act appropriately based on the situation, they grow more independent and learn to think and make decisions on their own.
This time, let’s nurture decision-making skills while playing a ball battle game.
Pair up in twos and face each other; place some colored balls between you and you’re ready to go! If you lose rock-paper-scissors, run away quickly; if you win, watch your opponent’s movements and throw a ball.
Give it a try!



