Because balloons are softer and lighter than balls, they’re a safe tool to use for children’s play and for activities with older adults.
In this article, we’ll introduce games and recreational activities that use balloons! We’ve gathered a variety of games—from ones you can play with just a single balloon to those that use many balloons, and options suitable for both small and large groups.
Many can be played while seated in a chair, so they’re great for older adults as well.
Be sure to make use of them during everyday playtime and recreation sessions.
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Fun Balloon Games and Recreational Activities (1–10)
Guess the letters written on the balloon
Participants form a circle, and one representative stands in the center.
Prepare balloons with hiragana written on them and toss them around.
Work together to keep the balloons from falling while simultaneously guessing the characters written on them.
If there are only a few participants, you can skip having someone stand in the center.
The characters on the balloons can be random hiragana, or you can choose ones that form words when combined.
Reading the characters while keeping the balloons in the air is quite challenging, but it’s a lot of fun—give it a try!
Balloon Carry Relay
How about trying a balloon-carrying relay using a balloon and a newspaper? Pair up the participants and place an inflated balloon on top of a sheet of newspaper.
Stand facing each other holding the newspaper—ready to go.
At the start signal, run to the finish without letting the balloon fall.
If you run too fast, the balloon will drop right away, so be careful.
It’s less likely to fall if you use the newspaper to create a wall on the side opposite your direction of travel and run while keeping the balloon along that wall.
If you don’t have newspaper, you can use a plastic sheet or a bath towel instead.
Balloon release
Use tape to mark a frame on the floor and place inflated balloons inside it.
Give each participant beanbags, and at the start signal, have them aim at the balloons.
It’s a success if they can knock all the balloons out of the frame! This game can be played while seated, so it’s recommended for older adults.
Also, beanbags don’t bounce or fly off like balls, making it easy to gather them after throwing.
You can compete for the fastest time to clear all the balloons, or have two people play simultaneously and see who can knock out more balloons.
Balloon Relay
Balloon relay is a game where players split into several teams and run while carrying a balloon.
You can’t hold the balloon in your hands; you have to keep it floating in the air as you run, which makes it quite difficult at first.
But that’s exactly why individual running speed doesn’t matter, and it stays exciting because you never know which team will win until the end.
A useful tip is to keep the balloon more in front of you than above you.
Also, since the balloon serves as the baton, when runners switch, pass the balloon in a way that makes it easy for the next person to take it.
balloon volleyball
Balloon volleyball is volleyball played with a balloon instead of a ball.
Any kind of net is fine.
You can make one with mesh and poles, or simply stretch a string to casually divide the court.
Once two teams have taken their places on the court, start the game at the signal.
Try enjoying it with the rule that the side that lets the balloon drop loses.
Since a balloon takes time to fall, it’s plenty of fun even while sitting.
If you have a large group, try using multiple balloons.
Balloon Parachute
Let’s try playing a balloon parachute game, where you make a balloon fly on top of a cloth.
Do this in pairs or larger groups.
Place an inflated balloon on a piece of cloth, and have participants face each other holding the cloth.
At the start signal, lift the cloth to launch the balloon and see if you can keep it from falling within the time limit.
You can also have multiple teams play at once and declare the team with the most balloons remaining as the winner.
Balloons move more than you might expect, so play in a spacious area.
Balloon beanbag toss
Let’s try a beanbag-toss style game using balloons, where you aim to get them into a basket placed up high.
Participants each hold a uchiwa fan and swat the balloons to send them flying into the basket.
Since balloons get blown around by the wind, play indoors.
Also, it’s better if the basket isn’t too high.
If you don’t have a traditional basket for the game, you can put a stand on a table and place a basket on top.
Balloons don’t fly straight, and it’s hard to aim where they’ll land—but that’s part of the fun! Give it a try with everyone.