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 (1–10)
Stained-glass-style koinobori (carp streamers)NEW!
These stained-glass-style carp streamers are perfect for a May craft.
Stained glass, often found in church and house windows, beautifully enhances interiors with sunlight.
The black outlines paired with colorful glass also give off a mysterious vibe.
You can easily incorporate the look into crafts using construction paper, transparent chiyogami, or colorful cellophane.
Attach clear tape to the carp-streamer frame made from construction paper, then stick pieces of cut transparent chiyogami onto the adhesive side of the tape—that’s it.
Children are likely to be fascinated by the carp streamers that create beautiful colors in the sunlight.
Stretchable carp streamerNEW!
@rii_asobi Looks hard but it’s surprisingly easy!? Make this and enjoy Children’s Day 🐟 ✼✼ Stretchy! Koinobori (carp streamer) ✼✼ ▼ Materials used • Origami paper • Construction paper • Glue ▼ Tips for making • When combining the parts and tucking the triangle inside, leave some slack! If it’s too tight, it won’t stretch and shrink well ✨️ ⚠️ Notes ⚠️ • If you pull too hard, the parts can come off 🫠 At first we didn’t know how much force to use and they came apart, but we figured it out, and my son had fun stretching and shrinking it 😆 ———————————————— Not bored at home, are you? • Simple yet totally absorbing 🎈 • Great value using 100-yen items and things you already have at home ◎ Let’s increase smiles for parents and kids with play ideas from a nursery-teacher mom 🌼 Moms who want to enjoy at-home childcare, follow @rii_asobi and stay tuned 🫶#AtHomePlay#Indoor PlayAt-home childcare1 year old#BoyMom#HandmadeToysOrigami#KoinoboriChildren's Day#Children’s Day craft
♬ Cute and fun marimba pops(1164847) – zomap
Kids might be captivated by a dynamic carp streamer craft and have lots of fun playing with it.
Using origami paper divided into four, you’ll make parts that let the koi nobori stretch and shrink.
There are two types of parts with different folding methods.
Older kindergarteners and children who enjoy origami should definitely try the challenge of folding these parts themselves.
Combine the origami parts, attach the head and tail, and it’s complete.
This wiggly, moving origami carp streamer is sure to spark children’s curiosity.
Paku! Kashiwa-mochiNEW!
@ht_okaba Hello! This is Happy Terrace Okaba Classroom 🌱 Today, for Children’s Day on 5/5, we did “Chomp the Kashiwa Mochi” using kashiwa mochi 🎶 We rolled or tossed them into the wide-open mouths of a rabbit, a panda, and a dinosaur‼️ Controlling strength and staying focused are super important 👍🏻✨ We tried standing and throwing, gently rolling—lots of creative variations. We had fun right until the end＾＾ If you’re interested, feel free to call or DM us 🫧 Monday–Saturday Business hours: 10:30–18:00 Inquiries: 9:30–18:30 📞 078-907-6935 ✉️ okaba@happy-terrace.comAfter-school day serviceChild Development Support# developmental support (ryōiku)Exercise Therapy#Indoor PlayKita Ward, Kobe CityKobe Electric RailwayChildren's DayForce/pressure controlImpulse ControlKashiwa mochiAnimalsKashiwa mochiFocusUpper gradesTranslationmixed-ageChildcareinfantInfantstranslationCommunicationtranslationtranslation#Social Skills TrainingTranslation#WelfareWelfare facilityGo viral#IWantToGoViral
♬ Everyday BGM – hidekazu
In Japan, there has long been a custom of offering kashiwa mochi during Tango no Sekku and Children’s Day.
Seeing kashiwa mochi makes you feel that May has arrived, doesn’t it? Let’s have the kids enjoy a game while sensing the season.
We’ll feed paper kashiwa mochi into the big mouths of animals made from cardboard.
Aim at the open-mouthed animals and slide the kashiwa mochi across the floor.
It’s a simple game, but it sounds like it could get exciting.
You can make it even more fun by assigning points based on the size of the animals’ mouths or by playing in teams.
Cleanup at the end might even be done proactively, too.
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.
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.
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 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!
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!
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?
“Children’s Day” Quiz
How about doing a quiz with Children’s Day-themed content that both kids and adults can enjoy? For example, have them fill in the blanks of the lyrics to the “Koinobori” song, or ask simple, cross-age questions like “What do we eat on Children’s Day?”, “When you think of Children’s Day, besides koinobori, what else comes to mind?”, and “What’s another way to say Children’s Day?” Choose questions that are easy to understand and fun for different age groups.
If you read a picture book beforehand that explains Children’s Day well, it might spark their interest and help them enjoy it even more.