Games to Play on Children’s Day: A Collection of Family-Friendly Ideas
Children’s Day is a day to celebrate and wish for children’s healthy growth.
There are many ways to spend it, such as displaying carp streamers and samurai helmets, or eating kashiwa-mochi.
But since it’s a special occasion, why not try incorporating games that everyone—family and friends—can enjoy together? In this article, we’ve gathered a wide range of game ideas perfect for Children’s Day.
From activities themed around carp streamers and kashiwa-mochi to ones you can enjoy with minimal preparation, they’re all games you can play excitedly indoors.
These are games that both kids and adults can get absorbed in, so be sure to check them out!
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Games to Play on Children’s Day: A Collection of Family-Friendly Ideas (41–50)
Speaking of 〇〇, games
Kids and digital devices—like games and smartphones—are practically inseparable these days.
But at least on Children’s Day, it would be nice to have a no-media day and play together with lots of lively chatter.
So let’s try a “When you think of 〇〇, you think of…” game.
Form teams of 5 or 6 and play a team-vs-team match.
For example, given the prompt “When you think of foods adults like, what comes to mind?”, everyone on the team answers at the same time.
If all the answers match, your team wins.
Even with simple prompts, it’s surprisingly hard to match answers, so it’s sure to get everyone excited.
It’s a game that adults can enjoy at welcome parties, cherry-blossom viewings, and other gatherings.
A recommended recreation that brings generations together!
True-or-False Quiz
True-or-false quizzes, which can be answered with a simple circle or cross, are easy for everyone from small children to adults to join, and the limited choices make them intriguingly challenging even for grown-ups.
From questions related to Tango no Sekku (Boys’ Festival) to prompts that evoke Children’s Day, you can learn about tradition while having fun with the game.
Of course, creating quizzes around your child’s favorite themes is sure to be a hit as well.
Even if you can’t go out anywhere, time will fly—this is a recreation activity we hope the whole family will try together.
Who am I? Quiz
In this game, you guess the correct answer based on several hints.
For example, you might give hints like, “It’s round,” “The outside is green but the inside is red,” and “Many people eat it in summer,” and the answer would be “watermelon.” Any answer is fine! If you’re playing with children, choose answers that everyone knows.
If you’re playing on Children’s Day, it’s a good idea to pick answers like “koinobori (carp streamers)” or “kabuto (samurai helmet)” and come up with hints for them.
If you make it so the final hint reveals the answer, it won’t be too easy and everyone can still enjoy it!
ring toss
Prepare prizes like favorite toys and candies, then throw rings at them; if a ring lands on one, you win it.
Prizes that are about the size a ring can fit over work well.
If you put the prizes in capsules so you can’t see what’s inside, it’ll make the game even more exciting! There might even be a dud in there!
Ring Passing Game
Prepare a large loop made from a tied rope.
Line up in a single file and pass the loop from one end to the other by going through it.
You must not use your hands.
The team that gets the loop to the goal the fastest, without letting go of hands while going through the loop, wins.
As long as you don’t use your hands and don’t let go of each other’s hands, it’s okay to lie down or jump.
Came Alone Game
Let me introduce a game called “I came alone,” which everyone can enjoy.
Participants sit in a circle.
In order—1, 2, 3, 4, 5—when it’s your turn, stand up, raise your hand, and say how many people you came with.
For example, when it’s number 3, three people stand up and say, “We came as three.” Then the next number is 4, so four people stand up and say, “We came as four.” If you take your eyes off what’s happening, you might lose track of which number you are.
It’s a game that requires concentration, observation, and thinking skills.
Straw Game
It’s a game where you match randomly placed number or picture cards, but just matching cards would be boring.
In this game, you suck up one card with a straw, carry it over to its matching card, and place it to make the match.
If you line them up correctly, you’re good—but if you accidentally blow instead, the card will fly away and everything gets scattered, so try not to burst out laughing!
hard mentality
Let me introduce a hard-mentality card game everyone can enjoy.
Shuffle the cards well to begin.
The host will ask a question, and players answer in a way that could have multiple possible answers.
The key is to predict and write answers so that everyone matches.
You earn points by giving the most common answer.
If you’re the only one with a particular answer, you receive the pink pig.
The first player to reach 8 points wins.
The host draws a card from the deck and asks its question.
If someone is taking too long to answer, do a cow impression and say “Moo,” and the game will get even livelier!
Newspaper Rock-Paper-Scissors
Stand on a single sheet of newspaper spread out on the floor.
Play rock-paper-scissors, and the loser folds the newspaper in half.
The game ends when someone keeps losing and can no longer stand on the newspaper.
You can play with two people, and although it requires a bit of space, it works with a large group too.
You could even make it a tournament.
Guess the weight game
Hold it in your hand and guess its weight.
You can use anything at home as long as it can be weighed.
Even with everyday items, we don’t usually pay attention to their weight, so it might be a pretty difficult game.
Whether your guess is under or over, the person whose number is closest to the correct weight wins.