[For Kids] Have Fun at After-School Day Service! A Special Feature on Indoor Game Ideas
Have you ever heard of “Hōdei”? It’s short for “after-school day service,” a welfare service that provides necessary support tailored to each school-age child with disabilities or children whose development is a concern.
In this article, we’ll introduce ideas for indoor games that kids can enjoy at after-school day services.
You’ll find lots of fun, educational ideas—from group activities to enjoy with friends to games that kids can focus on independently.
Be sure to give them a try!
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[For Kids] Have Fun at After-School Day Service! Indoor Game Idea Special (41–50)
Cooperation-Required Cup Game
@.vs9086 This time it’s a “cooperation-required cup game”! Materials: • 4 strings • 1 rubber band • Paper or plastic cups How to play: • Attach the 4 strings to the rubber band. • Line up the paper cups. • Tug the rubber band from four directions to grip the cup and stack them into a pyramid. This game builds fine hand control and concentration. Plus, one person can take the lead by giving instructions, and the other listens and responds. You can’t do it unless the two of you work together. My second son isn’t very cooperative and hasn’t really had experiences of accomplishing something together with friends, so I hope that, even through play, he can gradually gain experiences of achieving something with someone else. If you have paper cups, you can also branch out into other games like: • Sport stacking • Bowling ————— We share fun brain-boosting activities that elementary schoolers will get more absorbed in than a Switch—and that help grow their talents! Check out the other posts, too! —————Elementary school kids' playBrain-boosting playSTEAM education
♬ Cheap and cute athletic meet classic song(1085557) – Kids Sound
It’s hard to reach goals alone! Here’s a cup game that requires teamwork.
It’s a game idea where you and your friends coordinate your timing to grab and move cups.
Once you tie four strings to a rubber band, you’re ready to go! Two people work in sync to grip a cup.
Try building a pyramid or stacking them high—get creative with different arrangements.
The subtle balance of force and tiny timing mismatches that make the cups not move as you want can be surprisingly addictive!
[For Kids] Have Fun at After-School Day Services! Indoor Game Ideas Special (51–60)
indoor hockey game

Kids are guaranteed to be hooked! Here’s an indoor hockey game idea.
Hockey, which was a big hit at the Olympics, is played with sticks and a hockey ball.
This time, let’s try an indoor version you can enjoy at home.
All you need are marker cones.
Set up two red and two blue marker cones facing each other as goals, then use another color of marker cone as the “ball.” Slide it along the floor and aim for the goal—game on!
Fluffy Tennis Using Scrap Materials

Here’s an idea for fluffy tennis using recycled materials.
Tennis usually involves a racket and a ball, but this time let’s try tennis using a plastic bottle and a bag! You’ll need a plastic bottle, a bag, stickers, a pen, and masking tape.
Draw your favorite illustrations on the bag, then fill it with air.
Decorating the plastic bottle freely with masking tape and stickers will get everyone excited.
Work together to keep the softly floating bag from falling.
Card-flipping race

Here’s a fun, active card-flipping race.
Prepare 20 to 30 round cards made by sticking white paper on one side and black paper on the other.
Split into two teams—White and Black—with equal numbers of players.
Lay the cards out randomly, then within a set time limit, flip the cards to your team’s color.
Since the goal is to flip as many cards as possible within the time limit, the team that flips more cards wins! You can also increase the number of cards or change the colors to make it even more exciting.
Clapping Game Song “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

The hand-play song “If You’re Happy and You Know It” can be arranged not only by clapping hands but also by adding movements like stomping your feet or rotating your wrists.
There are many ways to enjoy this song, and by incorporating question prompts during the song—such as “What’s the date today?”, “What’s the weather like?”, or “What time is it?”—you can stimulate the brain while singing, which is effective for boosting quick reactions and decision-making.
It’s perfect not only for interacting with children but also as a lively activity for adults and in senior care facilities.
Give it a try!
Clap-Clap Game

Let me introduce the Clap-Clap Game that always gets the class excited.
The rules are simple: the leader moves both hands, and the participants watch the leader’s movements and clap their hands exactly when the leader’s hands overlap.
It’s a game where you enjoy clapping in sync with the timing.
Carefully observe the leader’s movements and match your timing.
It’s also important for the leader to be creative with their motions to make the game more exciting.
Even if someone claps at the wrong time, it turns into laughter and makes the game even more fun.
Tag Rugby Game

Recommended for elementary school students too! Here are some ideas for tag rugby games.
Tag rugby is a sport based on rugby where, instead of tackling the opponent, the game progresses by removing tags attached to the players’ waists.
For example, one of the five play ideas shown in the video is a game where you set up three cones and run laps around them while trying to take your opponent’s tag.
Give them a try and see how they work for you!



