Fun Performances for Preschool Teachers: Perfect for Birthday Parties and Seasonal Events!
There are so many opportunities to put on performances at nursery schools and kindergartens, aren’t there?
In addition to monthly birthday parties, there are seasonal events and activities, so many teachers may be racking their brains, thinking, “What should we do this time?” and running out of ideas.
So this time, we’re introducing performance ideas recommended for childcare workers that are perfect for events.
We’ve gathered lots of fun and unique acts that won’t disappoint the children who are looking forward to them.
It’s also a great idea to add your own twists to suit the season or occasion!
Be sure to make use of these ideas and enjoy a wonderful time together with the children.
For birthday parties and seasonal events! Fun performances for childcare workers (1–10)
Mask Dance
Despite the title saying it all, you can’t help but laugh at the ‘mask dance.’ It’s just dancing while wearing masks… and yet, somehow, it’s irresistibly funny.
The key seems to be doing it with a large group.
Like in the video, when lots of people wear the same mask, the surreal vibe ramps up and it becomes even funnier.
Try finding good themes, like characters from classic anime or kids’ shows.
You’ll also want to be thoughtful about the song choice and the parts other than the masks—costumes and the background, for example.
Paper Cup-chan’s Hide-and-SeekNEW!
A heartwarming little theater where the paper cup characters play hide-and-seek.
After a round of rock-paper-scissors to choose “it,” the hiding paper cup characters tuck themselves inside cups that are even bigger than they are.
Since there are three cups for two paper cups, once everything gets shuffled, kids can’t help but think, “Huh? Which one are they in?” and feel just like the seeker.
It’s exciting to guess right and frustrating to miss, and rather than just listening to a story, you’ll feel as if you’ve joined the paper cup characters and are playing along in this fun theater.
Mysterious PocketNEW!
Let’s have fun singing the beloved children’s song “Fushigina Pocket” (The Magic Pocket).
Are those forest animals? I heard there’s a birthday child, so they’ve brought all sorts of tasty treats.
Cookies, biscuits, doughnuts, fruit… When you pat the pocket, they multiply and keep coming out.
Before taking things out of the pocket, describe their features—like “Round, with a hole, and sweet?”—so the children can imagine what will appear next and enjoy the guessing.
At the end, a cake is completed, making it perfect for a birthday party.
Fun to search! Transforming GameNEW!
This is a game where you compare teachers before and after they transform and find the differences.
The classic spot-the-difference is done by comparing illustrations, but since the teachers can’t duplicate themselves, you’ll need to remember their pre-transformation appearance carefully.
Changes range from easy ones—like holding a toy or a piece of fruit—to trickier ones, such as a different T-shirt color or accessories.
Be sure to include a variety of change patterns and encourage the children to aim for a perfect score!
Blacklight dance
A blacklight dance where fluorescent colors swirl and shimmer in the dark.
Even the usual hall can look completely different just by putting some effort into the lighting.
It’s great when it looks lively and vibrant, right? The music could be an electric, EDM-style selection to match the vibe.
Like in so-called wotagei, swinging glow sticks around could totally work.
And if you can set up a mirror ball, that would be perfect.
Let’s turn the kindergarten or nursery into a festival venue!
A play with an added original story
When it comes to classic performances, plays are the go-to, but how about adding an original twist? It’s plenty of fun to act out familiar tales like “The Gigantic Turnip,” “Momotaro,” or “The Rolling Rice Ball.” But try sprinkling in a little spice—bring in characters from other stories, or slip in jokes unique to your school.
You’ll find lots of ideas bubbling up.
Just be careful not to cram in too much and make the story hard to follow, and enjoy arranging it your way.
What will come out? Paper Cup TheaterNEW!
A thrilling paper cup theater that celebrates a birthday by featuring three actions—“fly,” “run,” and “inflate”! Each paper cup has its own moving mechanism.
Stack two cups and let go to make them jump like a rocket, release your hand and they start running on their own, or add air and they puff up to make an entrance.
Each one shows off its specialty to delight the birthday child.
Attach any illustrations you like to the cups and perform.
The mechanisms are classic, so they’re easy to make!
Puppet Show! Let’s make a cake togetherNEW!
https://www.tiktok.com/@omiyamichinoko/video/7440003012334079233Kids love putting things in a bowl and mixing them, don’t they? So this time, let’s make a birthday cake together.
We’ll use a sketchbook that flips from the top, allowing the illustrations to change along with the story.
There’s a bowl drawn at the bottom, so please add the ingredients—eggs, sugar, flour, butter, and so on—in order to complete the cake.
If everyone does a mixing motion each time you add an ingredient, it really feels like you’re cooking and it’s a lot of fun.
Guess and have fun! Drawing QuizNEW!
https://www.tiktok.com/@omiyamichinoko/video/7439221103341374728This is a quiz where you partially draw pictures on transparent sheets, and when you stack them all together, players guess what the final picture is.
Draw them in order starting from the first sheet, and when you’re done, ask, “What could it be?” It’s a game that helps develop thinking skills while having fun, because you need to consider which part each illustration represents, find possible answers, and compare them.
The illustrations should be motifs that children are very familiar with.
If you’re doing it for a birthday, a present box is a great choice!
Exciting! Balloon TheaterNEW!
https://www.tiktok.com/@omiyamichinoko/video/7519728786963778823Balloon theater is exciting because it’s fun to watch the bag gradually inflate, and your heart races with the anticipation of “What will it become?” So why not perform it as an act at a birthday party? Prepare a gift box and ask the children, “What do you think is inside?” Let everyone enjoy imagining and sharing their guesses.
Inflate the bag little by little so they can savor the thrill of wondering what it will turn into.
Since it’s a birthday, making it into a cake might be a big hit!