Lovely childcare

[Sports Day] Let's Become Olympic Athletes! Parent-Child Events for 2-Year-Olds

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 for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.
9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

How about incorporating Olympic events into your sports day?

Here, we’re sharing ideas for parent-child events themed around the Olympics, designed for 2-year-olds.

There are lots of simple races and games you can enjoy together.

Through play, children can discover the fun of exercise and learn the importance of cooperating with friends and parents.

Let’s create a wonderful sports day filled with smiles, where parents and children cheer each other on!

Enjoy a great time with events that capture the excitement of the Olympics!

[Sports Day] Let's Become Olympic Athletes! Parent-Child Events for 2-Year-Olds (21–30)

Cart-pulling relay

Parent-child basket-pulling relay #Childcare #Kindergarten #Daycare #ChildcareWorker #SportsDay

Cart-pulling relay

The basket-pulling relay, which is popular for parent-participation events, is one of the classic sports day activities at many preschools.

It’s especially great for infants who aren’t ready to run yet—by sitting in a box and being pulled by a parent, they can enjoy the exhilarating feeling of running themselves.

Even with simple rules—head toward the cone, turn around, and come back—it can be surprisingly demanding.

Children may feel the thrill of running, while parents may feel like they’ve run a long distance! It’s a really fun event, so definitely consider including it.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Mario’s World

2012 Rai-kun’s Sports Day (Mario)

Mario's World

Introducing a unique parent-child activity that expresses the world of Mario, which drew attention during the Rio Olympics closing ceremony.

Aim for the goal together with your child wearing a Mario cap! Avoid traps and enemy characters along the way, and reach the finish by collecting coins without getting caught by Piranha Plants! We also recommend crafting green pipes out of cardboard and putting effort into Piranha Plant costumes.

It’s an event that not only kids but also parents who’ve played the games can enjoy, so please use this as a reference.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

[Sports Day] Let's Become Olympic Athletes! Parent-Child Events for 2-Year-Olds (31–40)

Balloon volleyball, balloon tennis

[A Must-See for Moms, Dads, and Childcare Students!] Balloon Volleyball & Balloon Tennis

Balloon volleyball, balloon tennis

Let’s try an Olympic sport—volleyball—as a parent-child event! Two family members form a team and play volleyball with a balloon against another parent-child team.

It also sounds fun to split into parents versus kids! To add a handicap, guardians could return the balloon using their head instead of their hands, or blow it back with their breath.

You can also make it tennis-style using rolled-up newspaper and a balloon.

Feel free to adapt it to suit your school or class vibe!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Flag exercise

Flag exercise

Two-year-olds are at an age where they can do simple exercises using props, right? For a parent-child activity suited to two-year-olds, how about choosing flag exercises? Here’s how it works: each child holds a flag and copies the teacher’s movements.

Parents stand beside them as support; it’s perfectly fine just to help when your child needs it.

If that seems difficult, parents can hold their child’s hand from the start and do the exercises together.

Please adjust the approach based on how practice is going!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

In conclusion

We’ve introduced parent-child events that recreate the excitement of the Olympics at a school sports day. The appeal lies in being able to incorporate a variety of elements—such as gold medals, pictograms, and the torch relay—tailored to children’s developmental stages. Watching parents and children work together to complete each event will surely become a lifelong memory. Add your own creative touches and put together a wonderful sports day filled with smiles.