Let’s get infants and one-year-olds excited at the sports day too! A collection of event ideas for parents and children to enjoy together.
When it comes to sports day, it’s all about parent-child events! Here are some wonderful activities that even infants and wobbly-walking 0-year-olds can enjoy.
From the “Animal Train” to “Kinraki Rappon,” there are plenty of hands-on activities tailored to children’s stages of growth.
Whether a child can sit up or still needs to be held, these events let everyone join in together.
They can transform into cute animals, play hand games, and sway happily with their parents.
Create joyful memories filled with sparkling smiles from the children!
- A toddler sports day that gets everyone excited! A collection of fun parent-child game ideas
- [For 0-year-olds] Cute sports day themes: Ideas to make the event more fun
- [Childcare] Play and games for 0-year-old babies: Fun developmental and educational activities
- Parent–child interactive play. Fun activities popular in childcare settings and at parent–child observation days.
- Ideas for Performances Recommended for 0-Year-Olds at Recitals and Play Events
- Fun Parent-Child Games! A Collection of Ideas to Liven Up Your Nursery School Sports Day
- For the daycare’s sports day! Fun and unique event ideas
- Parent-Child Events for Sports Day: Recommended Ideas for Nurseries and Kindergartens
- [Childcare] Recommended circuit competition ideas for a sports day for 2-year-olds
- [Parent-Child Rec] Recreational activities and games for parents and children to enjoy together—also great for sports days.
- [Unique] Fun sports day events that both kids and adults can enjoy
- [For Preschoolers] Get Fired Up at the Sports Day! Fun Parent-Child Activity Ideas That Everyone Will Enjoy
- [Childcare] Sports Day activity ideas. Let’s make the Sports Day exciting!
Playtime for Parents and Children (1–10)
If, if, Mr. Turtle, dear Mr. Turtle
Here is the event called “Moshimoshi Kameyo, Kame-san yo,” which is done in pairs of a guardian and child.
First, the child climbs up an elevated mattress by crawling or walking.
Next, they ride in a cart, and the guardian pulls it.
The key to designing this event is to keep the structure simple and easy to understand while making it enjoyable for the pair to do together.
Titles that are easy for children to visualize are especially recommended.
Create some fun sports day memories!
Jungle Guruguru
A jungle-themed dance song, “Jungle Guruguru.” Its lyrics and choreography playfully show how to face the challenges you encounter while exploring the jungle.
With jumping, high-fives, and spinning around, it’s a recommended track that parents and kids can enjoy together.
If it’s performed as an event for infants, parents can hold their child, lift them up high, and spin together to have fun.
It really feels like an adventure, making it a perfect dance song for a sports day event.
Playtime Activities for Parents and Children (11–20)
Olympics
If it’s an Olympic year, a sports day with an Olympic theme could be a lot of fun.
This event involves lighting the cauldron.
Each child holds a handmade torch and rides a trolley pulled by a parent to approach the cauldron.
Many children love riding on a trolley even outside of sports day.
For younger children, it’s important to create programs that focus more on enjoyable participation than on competition.
We hope you’ll make happy memories together.
Professor Hug
Let me introduce the “Animal Train,” a big hit at sports days that even the youngest children can join! To the rhythm of the music, lots of different animals hop on the train.
They go through tunnels and over hills—the train is lively and looks so fun.
The kids transform into many animals like rabbits, mice, and monkeys! It’s packed with movements babies love, like being lifted high in the air and gentle tickles.
At the end, everyone gives a big hug, leaving both children and caregivers full of happiness.
Be sure to try it at your sports day!
all over each other; stuck together; clingy
This is a bonding play activity for parents and children to enjoy together to the gentle-tempo “Hittsuki Mottsuki” song.
To the soft melody, parents and kids touch cheeks and hands together.
The moment your cheeks meet, smiles will blossom! It’s also great fun to do it all together with everyone to the “Hittsuki Mottsuki” song.
You’ll see your child’s happy face and enjoy it as a parent-child activity! At the end, on the cue “pettanko” for parent and child, give a big hug—another sweet bonding moment.
Please try it at home, too.
parent-child play
Parent-child play is an event that even infants in the youngest class can easily join.
To music, children and their caregivers do exercises, dance, and try imitating the teacher’s movements while interacting with each other.
They can also try, in pairs with a caregiver, the kinds of games the child usually plays with friends.
It’s a heartwarming activity that fosters a sense of bonding and love with the caregiver.
For younger infants, it’s recommended to sit on a picnic blanket or similar mat while participating.
Rather than competing, the goal is to enjoy being together and taking part as a parent and child.
Peekaboo
When you think of “peekaboo,” it’s the classic way to entertain a baby that you’ve probably done countless times since your child was born.
How about incorporating that “peekaboo” into a sports day event? Preparation is super simple: first, make a sign about 1 meter tall with a cute character, like an animal, drawn on it.
Next, take another sheet of cardstock, fold it around the middle of the body, and set it up so you can switch between two faces—one hidden and one visible.
Finally, attach a string to make it easy for the children to pull, and you’re done.
During the event, parents and children move forward together, and along the way they pull the string at the sign to play peekaboo, having fun as they make their way to the finish line!
