Games that rival street festivals and variety shows!? Crowd-pleasers for school cultural festivals
Looking for games or events that will get everyone excited at your school festival? There are plenty of easy, classroom-friendly activities like the “10-in-a-row Kendama Challenge,” “Gachapon,” and “Thousand-String Pull,” and with a bit of creativity, they can be even more fun.
They’re simple yet adjustable in difficulty, and perfect for instantly boosting the atmosphere at your venue.
In this article, we’ll introduce mini-games for school festivals that are sure to put smiles on everyone’s faces.
They’re also easy to prepare, so be sure to use them as a reference!
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Handmade Challenge Game (21–30)
Handmade dartboard
@dartsstadium.ikebukuro Handmade dartboardDarts#dartsHandmade
First Magnitude Star – Diamond Lily
Darts seem like they could be a popular attraction at school festivals and similar events.
Why not try making a handmade dartboard? Here, the board is made by layering two pieces of cardboard, but if you’re concerned about the sharp tips being dangerous, there’s also a method using a magnetic board and magnets.
You can come up with various shapes and designs for the board—circles, squares, hexagons, and more—so it might be fun to design a dartboard that’s uniquely yours.
You can also make the darts themselves safer and more enjoyable by embedding magnets in the tips and shortening the throwing distance.
A slot machine that moves with twine and stops with a magnet
One of the classic casino games is the slot machine.
You can find them in many arcades, too.
If there were a slot machine at a school festival, people would probably think, “I want to try it!” It’s known for its spinning reels, but it seems difficult to make one yourself, right? Actually, you can build one using craft paper, twine, and a hot glue gun.
You can probably get everything at a 100-yen shop.
The reels are powered by the twine.
Playing with a slot machine is fun, but a handmade slot machine would likely spark even more excitement.
Handmade Challenge Game (31–40)
Slot machine made of cardboard
How about handcrafting a slot machine that’s sure to be a hit at the school festival? The mechanism is a bit complex, but by understanding it as you build, you’ll likely learn how power transmission works too.
To make the reels stop precisely on the symbols, the inner drum contains marbles and corrugated cardboard—impressively detailed craftsmanship.
The spinner uses things like the core from a roll of plastic wrap.
Aside from that, most of the materials are just cardboard.
It’s a recommended project for crafty, handy people.
How to make a wooden medal game
We’ll show you how to make a wooden medal game that has a warm, handmade feel.
Prepare wood, a motor, casters, adhesive, and screws, then get started.
When using a saw for cutting, firmly secure the board with your foot while you cut.
It’s important to wear shoes during cutting to help prevent injury.
After processing the parts, assemble everything at the end.
Use screws and adhesive for assembly.
The key is to check the positioning and movement as you put it together.
Give it a try!
Quiz/Variety Game (1–10)
True-or-False Quiz
How about incorporating the true-or-false quiz you often see on variety shows? It sounds fun, but choosing an O or X panel and jumping through it might be a bit difficult.
So let’s add some tweaks to make it suitable for a school festival.
For example, instead of panels, use curtains, and instead of jumping, have participants move to different areas to answer.
Preparing funny penalties or prizes would make it even more exciting.
It’s also important to prepare quizzes with just the right level of difficulty to keep the energy up.
What’s inside the box?
Have you ever seen “What’s in the Box?” It’s a game where a challenger puts their hand through a hole in the side of a box and guesses what’s inside.
Meanwhile, the audience can see the contents and enjoy watching the challenger struggle to figure it out.
Try setting up a stage in the classroom so everyone can watch the challenge.
Also, it’s more exciting if you put items with very different textures inside.
For example, how about konnyaku or nagaimo?
Karaoke Contest
By the time you’re in middle school, your karaoke repertoire really expands, and I think karaoke contests are a hugely popular event at any school.
Singing normally is fun, but with a little twist to liven things up in the spirit of a cultural or school festival, it can become an even better event! Those karaoke machines that give you a score are fine, but how about inviting teachers or special guests to serve as judges? They can factor in not just singing ability but also performance and how well you engage the audience, which might generate more excitement than a machine-calculated score.
It would also be fun to offer a prize if someone can make it through a song without looking at the lyrics!