Ideas for games and crafts to enjoy on Children’s Day: a roundup of fun activities
As Children’s Day approaches, many of you may be thinking about doing something special to make it exciting for the kids.
Carp streamers, samurai helmets, and kashiwa-mochi—things that evoke Children’s Day—actually make perfect tools for games and crafts, too.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of game and craft ideas that are perfect for Children’s Day and will have parents and kids, as well as friends, completely absorbed.
They’re all easy to incorporate at home, in daycare, or in kindergarten, so use them as tips to make Children’s Day even more fun and colorful!
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Ideas for games and crafts to enjoy on Children's Day. A roundup of exciting activities (31–40)
Eat kashiwa-mochi
Let’s celebrate Children’s Day by eating the classic treat, kashiwa mochi! Kashiwa mochi is a rice cake filled with sweet red bean paste and wrapped in an oak leaf, a confection that expresses wishes for children’s health and growth.
Depending on the region, the shape varies, and the filling can be tsubuan (chunky bean paste), koshian (smooth bean paste), or even miso bean paste.
Of course, buying them at a shop is great, but since it’s also a long holiday, making them together with your kids is highly recommended! Enjoy homemade kashiwa mochi as you celebrate your children’s growth so far and in the years to come.
Let’s make koinobori (carp streamers)
This is an activity where you stamp paint with your fingertips onto colored construction paper to make a carp streamer (koinobori).
In this video the paper isn’t pre-cut, but if you trim the tip of the paper into a shallow triangle to create the tail fin shape and hand it to the child, it will feel even more like they’re making a koinobori.
Painting with fingers also lets kids enjoy the tactile feel of the paint, so it’s highly recommended.
Let’s swim! Carp streamers!
Dancing together hand in hand to “Let’s Swim! Koinobori!” You can enjoy various moves that match the lyrics: expressing the bold swimming of the carp streamers by holding hands and making big jumps, showing the power of a giant koinobori by stretching your bodies while keeping your hands joined, and depicting their leisurely glide through the sky with a breaststroke-like gesture.
Watching the children happily dance as if they’ve become big koinobori themselves will make you look forward even more to their healthy growth.
koinobori rocket
The rubber-band gun “Carp Through,” which uses a plastic bottle as a carp streamer, is the kind of toy that boys are likely to love.
Since you need to build the device using familiar materials you have at home, like cardboard and plastic bottles, it could be a fun family craft project during Golden Week.
Be careful not to aim or fire it at people or windows, as impacts could cause injury or damage.
Play Song ‘Koinobori Kids’
Here’s a recommended action song for Children’s Day: “Koinobori Kids.” The choreography is simple enough for preschool and kindergarten children to dance.
If you’re looking for a dance to perform on Children’s Day, be sure to check it out! Each movement is big and slow, and the choreography repeats, so with a few practice runs on the day, kids should be able to dance it right away.
Try dancing as if you were a carp streamer (koinobori)!
Cute mini-sized craft
Mini crafts made with easily available materials from 100-yen shops, such as origami paper, straws, and stickers.
You can whip up small items like keychains, mini bags, paper flowers, and wind chimes in no time.
They’re perfect for decorating your room or for small gifts to friends.
With a little creativity and ingenuity, you can make all kinds of accessories, so why not use the ideas introduced here as inspiration to create your own original pieces? Turning your own ideas into tangible form can be a very rewarding experience.
How to Make Dazzling Gemstones
Let’s make a toy that looks like a gemstone when you hold it up to the light.
Prepare two toilet paper rolls and decorate the sides with origami paper.
Cut each roll into four equal rings.
Arrange the rings into circular frames and glue them together, then attach a piece of parchment (cooking) paper to the bottom.
Make a strip of aluminum foil the same height as the frame, form it into a ring, and place it inside the frame.
Finally, stick pieces of transparent origami paper on top in a random collage, and you’re done! Be sure to put several aluminum-foil rings of different sizes into each frame.
That way, you can create multiple gem-like colors within a single frame.
Flying Koinobori (carp streamers)
Do you know the game app “Flying Koinobori”? In this game, you control a koinobori (carp streamer).
Glide freely through the vast sky as if you were the koinobori itself, popping red, blue, and yellow balls floating in the air.
Soaring across the wide-open scenery under the blue sky feels exhilarating.
However, people prone to 3D motion sickness may want to be cautious.
Fishing game
Let’s make our own fish and fishing rods and play! Draw and color any fish you like, and attach a paper clip to the mouth.
For the fishing rod, tie kite string to a pair of chopsticks, fasten a magnet to the end of the string, and secure it with cellophane tape.
The magnet at the tip of the rod sticks to the paper clip so you can “catch” the fish.
If you make the fish into koinobori carp streamers, it’s perfect for Children’s Day!
Hula Hoop Koinobori
A simple game where a child holds onto a hula hoop and gets pulled by an adult is likened to carp streamers fluttering from a pole.
Their clothes may get dirty, but since it strengthens the arms, it likely has a positive effect on physical development.
Children love games where they can move without walking, so they’ll probably be delighted to hang onto the hula hoop.
Adults will need to bend at the waist and use strength, so please watch out for back pain and dislocation.