Games using beanbags (otedama)
Let me introduce a game using beanbags (otedama)!
Otedama are small cloth bags filled with azuki beans or rice.
In Japan, they’ve long been loved as children’s playthings.
Many of you have probably tried the game where you toss several otedama into the air and keep them going without dropping any, right?
In this article, we’ll introduce otedama tricks, traditional children’s songs you can play along with, and games using otedama that everyone from kids to adults can enjoy.
Try adding it to your everyday playtime!
- [For Seniors] Liven Up Your Day Service! Fun Beanbag Toss Activity
- [Hand Play] Popular with kids! A collection of trendy hand-play songs and nostalgic traditional children’s songs
- Useful for childcare! Today’s recommended recreational activities, including fingerplay and games!
- Traditional Games: Fun Old-Time Play. Popular Activities Useful in Childcare
- Kids go wild! Popular hand games and fun sing-alongs
- [Children’s Club] Easy and fun indoor games. Exciting party games
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [Nursery/Kindergarten] Make Your Sports Day a Hit! A Collection of Fun Beanbag Toss Variations
- Get excited! A list of popular and fun hand games that captivate children
- Handkerchief and Towel Play! A Collection of Fun Play Ideas
- Popular hand games and hand game songs for toddlers and children! Full of ideas for childcare/early childhood education.
- Play ideas kids can enjoy from 1st to 6th grade [indoors & outdoors]
- A collection of simple indoor recreational games
Games Using Beanbags (11–20)
Otedama Box Balancing Game
The “Beanbag Box Stacking Game” is fun for everyone from kids to seniors.
Stack several cardboard boxes vertically and stick papers with point values on them, then toss beanbags from a short distance away.
Aim for the boxes with higher points and try to land your beanbag on them.
You can make it even more exciting with variations—play in teams, or make the highest-scoring box have a smaller landing area, and so on.
plate
Osara is a hand-clapping song game played with beanbags.
You pick up and toss the beanbags in time with the traditional children’s song lyrics.
If the lyrics say to pick up one, you pick up one, and the number increases to two, three, and so on.
There are also tricks like “otenose,” where you grab a beanbag and balance it on the back of your hand, and “ohasami,” where you catch a thrown beanbag by pinching it with the other hand.
Because it’s a classic hand-play song, it’s perfect for children to enjoy with their grandmothers.
Gomoku (Five-in-a-Row) Game
The Beanbag Five-in-a-Row Toss Game is fun for both your brain and body! Use vinyl tape to make a grid on the floor, and players, seated, toss beanbags toward it.
The farther the squares are from you, the harder they are to hit—so things won’t always go the way you calculated in your head.
Adding physical movement to the classic five-in-a-row raises the difficulty and guarantees a heated match! It’s a game everyone can enjoy together, from children to seniors.
Beanbag Tower
The Beanbag Tower is a fun game that seniors and children can enjoy together.
Turn paper cups upside down and stack beanbags on the bottoms of the cups.
Although it may seem simple, there are many ways to place the beanbags, and experimenting with different methods makes it enjoyable.
Some seniors may even have wisdom gained over many years to share.
The winner is the person who knocks over the beanbag tower the fewest number of times.
Children’s song “Antagata Dokosa”
We play beanbag toss to the tune of the children’s song “Antagata Dokosa.” Among the ways to play with beanbags, this is a well-known one.
Matching your partner and moving in the same way gives it the fun feel of a little dance.
Even if it doesn’t go well at first, with practice you’ll get in sync with each other and pick it up quickly.
It creates a friendly, lively atmosphere, so try playing with children of a similar age!