[Handmade & Instagrammable] Decorations for Sports Day: Ideas and Inspiration
When the schoolyard, gates, and campus are decorated for Sports Day, it instantly feels more festive and exciting, doesn’t it? In this article, we’ll share recommended decoration and styling ideas for Sports Day.
We’ve gathered a wide range—from photo-worthy pieces and iconic centerpieces to items that lift everyone’s spirits—covering everything from small props to large displays.
Most of what we introduce here can be handmade, so use these ideas as inspiration and give them a try.
These decorations are perfect for various Sports Day events at nurseries, kindergartens, schools, and senior facilities!
- Perfect for sports day! Handmade armbands, bracelets, and wrist accessories
- [Wrist Accessories / Costumes] Handmade Outfit Ideas for Sports Day
- Parent-Child Events for Sports Day: Recommended Ideas for Nurseries and Kindergartens
- Popular songs recommended for nursery school sports days! A roundup of classic crowd-pleasers and the latest hits
- Recommended for nursery and kindergarten sports days! A collection of exercise songs to enjoy every day
- Cheer songs to hype up the sports day! A collection of motivational tracks recommended for kids
- [Childcare] Recommended for sports day performances and dances! A collection of classic and popular songs
- From classics to fan favorites! A catalog of music and BGM to liven up your sports day
- [Sports Day Cheer Songs] A roundup of classic cheer songs and recommended tracks for parody versions
- Get hyped! A collection of Vocaloid songs to energize your sports day and athletic festival
- Elementary schoolers can dance to it! Recommended dance songs and choreography for sports day
- [Sports Day] Songs for footraces: tracks that make kids want to run [classics & J-pop]
- [Sports Day BGM] A selection of classic tunes that liven up the venue
[Handmade & Instagrammable] Introducing Sports Day Decorations (1–10)
signboard
Signage serves as the face of any event.
Even simply displaying the event name in text fulfills the role of a sign, but if possible, decorations that excite participants and catch the eye of spectators will heighten anticipation for the event.
For a sports day, for example, we recommend decorations that evoke the event—such as drawings by the children, paper flowers, or pom-poms.
Because it’s the first thing everyone sees, this is a decoration you’ll want to create together from the planning stage, gathering ideas from everyone as you go.
medal
Medals aren’t just for celebrating victories and great efforts—they can be cute decorations depending on the design, too.
From realistic ones adorned with gold or silver origami to fanciful flower-inspired styles, it could be fun to tailor them to the age group at the heart of your event.
When you create appealing medals, participants get more fired up to win them, which boosts the excitement of the event itself.
If you’re going to do it, make a one-of-a-kind medal—the perfect decoration to brighten up a major event.
cheering fan uchiwa (handheld fan used to support performers/teams)
Why not make cheer fans that are popular among junior high and high school students to liven up your sports festival or field day even more? If you make them by hand, they’ll be heartfelt items—and best of all, unforgettable memories! You can buy fans at 100-yen shops, then cover them with fabric, draw illustrations, and decorate them however you like to create your own cheer fans.
If you use an app called “ZEPETO,” you can create an avatar from a selfie, print it out, and decorate your fan with it for a unique and stylish touch! Display them around the school or use them for cheering—have fun with them any way you like!
[Handmade & Instagrammable] Sports Day Decorations and Ornaments (11–20)
banner
Banners are widely known as a classic cheering item.
A banner that conveys a message visualizing the team’s unity can be expected to keep boosting the morale of those about to compete.
By featuring the colors, convictions, stance, and other messages you want to put front and center as a team, it will liven up events such as sports days.
It’s also a fun decoration that lets you enjoy the differences between teams, and making them together by hand will likely strengthen your sense of unity even more.
wreath
Paper chain garlands are a basic and classic form of decoration, often used for indoor recreation.
Because they’re easy to make with colored paper or origami paper, even very young children can join in.
You can stick to a single color or alternate your favorite colors—despite their simplicity, paper chains offer plenty of variety, which is a big part of their appeal.
Their structure is straightforward and hard to mess up, making them a versatile decoration that works in almost any setting.
deco towel
@clat.studio [Deco] Deco Towel Feature 🌈 Full of personality and so cute 🌟💖#DecoTowelSports FestivalCultural FestivalCute
♬ Meu Mundo Meu Lugar – Seu Soares
When it comes to classic decor items for school sports days and field days, there are all sorts of cute options like name boards, megaphones, and hand fans.
But actually carrying them around can be a hassle, and some students may not be allowed to make them due to school rules.
That’s why we recommend deco towels! You need a towel to wipe sweat anyway, and if you decorate it, it becomes a great photo-ready item when you spread it out.
The design is up to you, so have fun showing off your personality or matching with your friends.
Balloon tower
As its name suggests, a balloon tower brightens up a venue by stacking balloons high.
Unlike flat decorations, its three-dimensional roundness creates an irresistibly cute shape.
You can easily make a simple balloon tower by preparing a water-filled plastic bottle and a tension rod, then layering balloons onto the pole—perfect for sports days and many other events.
You can also enjoy customizing it by varying the colors and sizes of the balloons, making the creation process itself part of the fun.