A roundup of Olympics-inspired events to liven up your sports day

Balloon Tennis

We played Anpanman Exciting Balloon Tennis 😊

Here are some ideas for games that kids can enjoy at daycare or kindergarten sports festivals! The rule is to pass the balloon skillfully so it doesn’t touch the ground.

If it falls, the other team gets a point.

In the end, the team with the most points wins! But having fun is more important than winning or losing.

It’s also a great idea to make your own rackets as a craft.

Using rackets you made yourself will make the sports day even more fun.

Why not make them together, tailored to the children’s ages? Enjoy the time leading up to the sports day, too!

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kepiko

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Target shooting

Make Your Own Shooting Game! Easy Craft Using Toilet Paper Rolls (For Ages 3 and Up)

Here’s an idea for a target-shooting game that’s easy for young children to try.

Among Olympic events, there’s shooting, where competitors use firearms to hit targets and compete on accuracy.

This time, let’s incorporate a similar “aiming at a target” activity—target shooting—into a sports day.

To make a toy shooter, prepare straws, rubber bands, origami paper, tape, masking tape, scissors, glue, and a toilet paper roll.

The rule is simple: use this shooter to knock down the targets.

It’s a fun activity that children and adults alike can enjoy together.

balloon volleyball

Balloon art fun with balloons! How to play balloon volleyball that even beginners can enjoy easily♪

Here’s an idea for balloon volleyball.

Volleyball is a sport where two teams hit a ball over a net to score points, right? For balloon volleyball, all you need to prepare is a single balloon.

It’s easy to get, even at a 100-yen shop.

The way to play is the same as regular volleyball: form teams of about six people, have two teams face each other, and tap the balloon with your hands to keep the rally going.

It’s easy enough for small children to enjoy, so give it a try!

Shuttle Carry Relay

[Sports Recreation] Racket Games: Parent-Child Shuttle Carry Relay in Kawaguchi

Here’s a shuttle-carry relay that children and adults alike can enjoy.

Split into teams, place a badminton shuttlecock on top of a racket, and ready, go! Run while keeping the racket level so the shuttlecock doesn’t fall, loop around the cone, and return to the starting line.

Hand the racket and shuttlecock as they are to the next player, and the team whose entire lineup finishes first wins.

If you drop the shuttlecock, you have to restart from where it fell, so the key to victory is running carefully yet quickly so it doesn’t drop.

The rules are simple and easy to understand—give it a try!

Dance to the Olympic theme song

Paprika Dance: Preschool Sports Day

If you’re planning a sports day with an Olympic theme, one thing you should definitely include is an Olympic theme song.

Simply playing it at the venue will set the mood, but using it as the track for a dance performance is guaranteed to get everyone excited! Olympic theme songs include many classics, such as Yuzu’s “Eikou no Kakehashi” and Namie Amuro’s “Hero.” You could even let each team choose their favorite track as their assigned song.

Be sure to find a song you love!

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yamamoto

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Skateboard Tic-Tac Race

Tic-tac race on skateboards

Skateboarding was adopted as an event at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, and it drew attention thanks to the strong performances by Japanese athletes.

One of the tricks in skateboarding, called the “tic-tac,” involves moving forward while swinging the front wheels from side to side.

A tic-tac relay—where this move is performed in a baton-passing format—is enjoyed by skaters as a casual game and a way to relax.

If incorporated into school sports days or athletic festivals, it would look intriguingly odd and entertaining for spectators, while also providing a gateway for people to become familiar with skateboarding.

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kappamaki

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collective behavior

Inaba Nishi Elementary School 6th Graders: Sports Day Performance – Group Formation (2017)

The parade that kicks off the Olympics—the athletes from each country entering the venue in their uniforms—looks so cool, doesn’t it? It’s moving even though they’re just walking.

So why not bring that into a school sports day? There’s also the well-known group performance by students from Nippon Sport Science University.

The precise, synchronized movements performed by a large number of people have overwhelming impact.

If you showcase this at a sports day or athletic festival, you might just amaze everyone watching!

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Araki Jakkan

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