Wonderful sports day / athletic festival

Arrange the ball-carrying relay! A roundup of surprising and fun ideas

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.
Accompanist / Piano Instructoryuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.

The “ball-carrying relay” is a popular activity at all kinds of events, such as sports days, mixers, and fun parties.

The basic way to play is simple: everyone takes turns carrying the ball without dropping it, and the team that reaches the goal first wins!

With its simple rules, it’s a game that both kids and adults can enjoy, and it’s easy to customize.

In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of ways to tweak the ball-carrying relay.

We’ve also included fun ideas that combine it with other games, so if you’re looking for events participants haven’t experienced before, be sure to check them out.

Remix the Ball-Relay Race! A One-Stop Showcase of Surprising & Fun Ideas (1–10)

Ball Retrieval Relay

Body-building Exercise [Ball Edition] Ball Collection Relay 1

Ball Retrieval Relay

A recommended variation of the ball-carry relay is the Ball Collection Relay! In this game, you form teams and race to gather balls as quickly as possible.

Stand at the starting line and take off when the signal is given.

Each team member runs out one at a time to grab a ball, comes back, and hands the baton to the next person.

The more balls there are, the more fun it gets.

You can help each other, chat while you run, and feel your team’s unity.

Laugh, cheer each other on, and make it a memorable event!

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Carrying a ball with a holey newspaper

Here’s an idea for a relay game using a newspaper and a tennis ball.

The rules are very simple: two players work in perfect sync to reach the goal without dropping the tennis ball through the holes in the newspaper.

The rules are easy, but it’s surprisingly challenging even for adults—that’s part of the fun.

You can play it anywhere, indoors or outdoors.

First, pair up, spread out a sheet of newspaper, and place the ball on top.

Work together to carry it carefully without dropping it.

If you drop it along the way, pick it up immediately and restart from the same spot.

The team that reaches the goal first wins! It’s also a great activity to include in a sports day event.

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Carry the ball on a cone

Ball Carrying Race [Preschool Sports Day]

Carry the ball on a cone

For a cute-feeling event, we recommend a relay where participants carry a ball on a cone.

In this activity, you place a ball on an ice-cream cone made by attaching construction paper to newspaper and carry it.

If you decorate the ball with construction paper or similar materials, it will look even more like ice cream.

The adorable appearance is sure to liven things up.

First, try finding a ball that’s a good size.

If it’s a vinyl ball, you can decorate it simply by applying thin paper.

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Arrange the ball-carrying relay! A roundup of surprising and fun ideas (11–20)

UFO

[2024 Saga Girls’ High School Sports Festival] Event name: UFO. Carry a balance ball on your back in a relay! The direction you run will determine the outcome!

UFO

“UFO” is a unique event featuring a rule where participants carry a large balance ball on their backs without letting it fall.

Several people form a circle, press their backs together to support the ball, and move forward while calling out to each other—looking just like a UFO floating in the air! It’s perfect for sports days and athletic festivals, requiring teamwork and a good sense of balance.

Communicating as they move boosts class or team unity significantly.

Even those who aren’t confident in sports can shine, and everyone is likely to feel a great sense of accomplishment when it’s over.

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Spoon Relay

Spoon Relay

Spoon Relay

Super balls, often seen as prizes at festival stalls, are the focus of a race called the ladle relay.

In this event, you scoop up a super ball with a ladle, run, and pass it directly into the next runner’s ladle.

Because the inside of the ladle is slick, even a slight jolt can make the ball fall out.

Another characteristic is that once dropped, the ball tends to roll far away.

Try to tackle it carefully yet quickly.

It’s fun even with a short running distance, making it perfect for small or confined spaces.

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Ball Carry Tag

Ball Carry Tag

Ball Carry Tag

Here’s an adapted version of “tag” with ball carrying.

The rules are very simple! Wearing a flag, teams start at the starting line and try to carry as many balls as possible to the goal within the time limit.

There are taggers (oni) in between, so be careful not to let them take your flag.

If a tagger takes your flag, reattach the flag placed by the tagger and return to the start to try again.

It’s also a team game where you aim to transport all the balls without getting caught.

It’s fun to come up with strategies, like having someone act as a decoy.

We also recommend switching between the carrying team and the tagger team and using this as an event in a sports day.

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Ball passing relay

Children and Parent-Child Event/Activity Plan: Ball-Passing Relay Race in Kawaguchi, Saitama

Ball passing relay

A ball-passing relay that adults and children can enjoy together.

Once everyone lines up in a single file, pass the ball from the person in front to the person behind.

You can send the ball through your legs or pass it over your head to the next person—both are fine! If the ball reaches the last person and you still haven’t reached the goal, the person who just passed the ball should move to the back of the line and repeat the same actions.

If you’re playing in a schoolyard or gym, it’s a good idea to set a distance, such as from one end of the space to the other.

This game is great for sports days and athletic festivals, so feel free to use it as a reference.

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