May 5 is Children’s Day.
It used to be called Tango no Sekku (the Boys’ Festival), but in recent years it has become widely recognized as Children’s Day, a day to wish for children’s healthy growth.
It’s still often seen as a celebration for boys, but in fact it’s a day to celebrate all children regardless of gender and to thank mothers who gave birth to them.
In this article, we introduce play ideas and recreation games perfect for Children’s Day.
We’ve gathered many games related to Children’s Day and koinobori (carp streamers).
Please feel free to use these ideas at home or when celebrating in early childhood settings and give them a try!
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- [Parent-Child Rec] Recreational activities and games for parents and children to enjoy together—also great for sports days.
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Games and activities to enjoy on Children's Day. Craft activities too (1–10)
Koinobori Flag-Raising Game
Let’s try arranging the flag-raising game into a Koinobori (carp streamer) version.
After raising flags using the colors black and red like the carp streamers, try applying it with the black male carp (magoi) and the red female carp (higoi) by calling out commands like “Raise magoi” and “Lower higoi.” Finally, if you mix colors and names—issuing prompts like “Raise black” and “Raise higoi”—the difficulty jumps up, making it harder, but that’s exactly what makes it exciting.
Let’s make a samurai helmet
Let’s make a classic Children’s Day kabuto (samurai helmet) out of origami.
In the video it’s made with beautiful washi paper, but you can also use pretty large wrapping paper or even newspaper.
The steps are very simple.
Kids can wear the helmets and play, so if you prepare one for each child, they’ll have a great time—and it’ll look adorable to take a group photo with everyone wearing them!
Reading picture books aloud
Reading aloud lets you connect heart-to-heart with children while keeping them close through picture books.
Many titles related to Children’s Day are available, but of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to those just because it’s the holiday.
It’s best to choose based on whether it’s a story children love or a popular picture book—something that will keep them interested and happily listening until the end.
One of the great things about picture books is that after reading, children can share their thoughts with friends and teachers, and deepen their understanding of the story by discussing it with their guardians.
Let’s pretend to be koinobori!
“I wonder what the carp streamers feel as they swim through the sky.” With that in mind, it’s fun to play by pretending to be a carp streamer! You can imitate their movements by yourself, line up with friends and copy them together, or combine it with counting games—there are so many ways to enjoy it.
Once Children’s Day is over, you won’t see the carp streamers again until the same time next year.
“Let’s all energetically imitate the carp streamers that will be swimming again next year!” Why not include that feeling as you bring this play into your activities?
Spinning Koinobori
It’s adorable as a garland, too! Here’s a fun idea for twirly koinobori.
All you need are scissors, construction paper in your favorite colors, ribbon, and glue or tape.
When it comes to koinobori-themed crafts, everything is so cute that it’s hard to choose, right? The charm of this idea is that you simply cut and paste construction paper to make the koinobori, so the materials are minimal.
The colorful papers peeking through the scale-shaped windows create a poppy, cheerful feel.
Give it a try!
Koinobori ring airplane
Carp streamer ring flight: a game where you throw carp streamers for fun.
Draw a carp streamer or print one out, roll it into a tube, and glue it closed.
Then just slip your thumb lightly into the tube, grip it, and toss it forcefully in the direction you want it to fly! It’s a perfect activity for kids who think things like, “It’s sad that it’s always swimming in the same place,” or “I want to let it swim freely.” If you fold the mouth end of the carp streamer a few times, it adds just the right weight to make it easier to throw far.
Koinobori Tunnel
Let’s try making a carp streamer tunnel by connecting cardboard boxes and placing them inside a large koi nobori like the ones displayed outdoors! For preschoolers, it’s the kind of tunnel they’ll want to go through again and again, so if you make it in a childcare setting, everyone will probably rush to be the first to go in (haha)! However, large koi nobori can be quite pricey.
If you want to keep costs down, how about attaching construction paper around the connected cardboard boxes and drawing your own original koi nobori? It would be fun if adults draw the outlines and let the children color them in however they like!
