Lovely Play & Recreation

[Children's Association] A Collection of Fun Entertainment and Activity Ideas

20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.
Composition nerdmutō
Started performing in bands in junior high school. Influenced by Japanese rock and UK rock, spent over 10 years continuing band activities while creating original songs. Later began producing Vocaloid tracks using Hatsune Miku, with total plays of released songs surpassing 10,000. Has five years of experience writing for music magazines. Currently works as a music writer, director, and composer, keeping a ground-level perspective on the scene by attending live shows across Japan. Now performs at live houses in Tokyo, showcasing guitar playing centered on acoustic guitar and informed by knowledge of chord analysis and guitar scales. Also writes leveraging a broad knowledge of music genres.

Introducing fun activities and performances that will liven up your kids’ club! Kids’ clubs bring together children from the neighborhood or school to have a great time.

Getting together to play games, enjoy performances, and put on skits—children really look forward to those precious moments.

In this article, we’re introducing entertainment and performance ideas perfect for kids’ clubs.

We’ve gathered lots of ideas, from activities led by the children themselves to performances where adults entertain the kids.

Use these as inspiration and make your kids’ club as exciting as possible!

[Children's Club] A Collection of Entertaining Skits and Performance Ideas (41–50)

Tasting Game

After-Party/Year-End Party Game Reference Video Vol.22: “Tasting Game” | For After-Party/Year-End Party Prizes, choose Prize King

Tasting Game

Kirin, Asahi, Suntory—just hearing those names is irresistible to beer lovers, right? So instead of a sake tasting, how about a beer tasting or even a juice tasting competition to liven things up? Even the same orange juice can taste subtly different depending on the brand.

And that canned coffee you sip without thinking—if you taste it seriously, you’ll find it’s completely different from others.

At a party with lots of dishes, you could even do blindfolded tastings and try to guess the foods—that’s sure to get everyone excited.

If you usually act like a gourmet, make sure not to show any uncool moments!

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Kappa Plate Ball-Carrying Race

Kappa Plate Ball-Carrying Race [Party Game for Banquets, Parties, Year-End Parties! After-Parties!]

Kappa Plate Ball-Carrying Race

It’s also great to use paper plates at the party venue for an obstacle-course-style game! If you’ve got a large space, the excitement doubles.

Balance a paper plate on your head, hold it in place with your hands, and put a ping-pong ball on top.

The winner is the person who finishes with the most ping-pong balls still on their plate after clearing all the obstacles.

Simple obstacles made from tables and chairs are plenty.

Even just doing one lap around the venue along the walls works well.

You can customize the obstacles in many ways—like greeting the department head or playing rock-paper-scissors with a junior colleague.

Don’t forget to prepare classic sports day-style background music to play during the game!

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The Obviousness Exercise

Atarimae Taiso - Kids’ Club Version - papakai121216

The Obviousness Exercise

COWCOW, a comedy duo, has a signature bit called “Atarimae Taiso” (The Obvious Exercise).

They sing about things that make anyone think, “Well, that’s obvious!” while doing simple exercises.

It’s the kind of act that gets funnier the longer you watch.

The key is the “obvious” part—by using topics even small children know, they can get laughs.

It’s also fun to come up with your own original phrases.

There are official videos by COWCOW on YouTube, so be sure to check them out for reference.

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Crimson Lotus Flower

“Gurenge”: Playing Demon Slayer at the preschool got everyone super excited!!

Crimson Lotus Flower

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba became a household name across Japan thanks to its massive success in manga, anime, and film.

Truly, it’s a work that people of all ages know.

How about trying a choral or ensemble performance of LiSA’s Gurenge, the opening theme used in the TV anime series? I’m sure many kids can sing the entire song without even looking at the lyrics.

There’s nothing quite like the exhilaration of everyone singing it passionately together.

If you’re going to perform it, I recommend arranging it a bit more simply.

Recreating it as-is is incredibly difficult.

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[Dance] Jamboree Mickey!

[Official] Tokyo Disney Resort Kids Dance Program “Jamboree Mickey! Let’s Dance!” (1) Let’s dance with Disney friends! | Tokyo Disney Resort

[Dance] Jamboree Mickey!

Disney’s official dance song “Jamboree Mickey!” Just listening to it puts you in a cheerful mood, making it perfect for energizing a kids’ gathering! This song is performed by characters at Disneyland and is also a popular dance tune in early childhood settings.

Because it’s so well-known, many kids will probably start dancing as soon as it plays.

If there’s a stage, adults can perform it as entertainment and invite any children who want to join in.

Even without a stage, as long as someone can dance it perfectly, newcomers can jump in and participate!

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two-person robe (Nininbaori): a comedic act where two people share one kimono-like garment, with the rear person acting as the arms for the front person

Shin'ai Kodomo-en January 2017 Birthday Party and Two-Person Kimono (Futahori)

two-person robe (Nininbaori): a comedic act where two people share one kimono-like garment, with the rear person acting as the arms for the front person

Watch “two-person robe (Nininbaori): a comedic act where two people share one kimono-like garment, with the rear person acting as the arms for the front person” on YouTube

The traditional Japanese game “Futari-Baori” (two-person haori).

First, two people pair up and stick together front-to-back.

The person in the back wears a haori and only puts their arms through, and while unable to see anything, acts as the hands of the person in front.

You can perform it like a comedy sketch, or make it into a game where the two complete set tasks.

There’s a delightful, suspenseful fun in trying to synchronize your movements but not quite managing it.

It’s also great because you only need simple prep, like oversized clothing or a piece of cloth.

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Hige Dance

Oyaji Club Hige Dance Performance 2013/12/1

Hige Dance

The “Hige Dance,” famously featured on the show It’s 8 O’Clock! Everyone Gather! (Hachiji da yo! Zen’in Shūgō!), which starred Cha Kato and Ken Shimura.

Performers wear black tailcoats and small mustaches, then dance to the rhythm and show off various tricks.

Since Hige Dance performers are basically silent, they react using facial expressions and gestures.

Combined with the comical look, it becomes fun to watch and makes you laugh.

The tricks have elements of street performance, so when they succeed, the audience is sure to get excited!

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