Games and activities everyone can enjoy together. A collection of fun play ideas.

playing rock-paper-scissors after seeing the opponent’s move (i.e., acting with hindsight/cheating)

EDAMAME TV #66: A showdown to keep losing at after-the-fact rock-paper-scissors

In regular rock-paper-scissors, playing after your opponent is a taboo, right? But in this game, you intentionally play after them.

Decide in advance whether you’ll win or lose with your late play, then start the game! It sounds easy when you hear it, but it’s surprisingly tricky.

It’s simple yet gets everyone excited, so I recommend it! You can have everyone play and do a last-person-standing format, or pick representatives to go one by one.

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Hoka-hoka Janken

Group game “Hoka Hoka Janken” with lyrics

Unique chants make it fun! Here’s an idea for “Hoka-Hoka Rock-Paper-Scissors.” Split into two teams and have players take turns playing rock-paper-scissors.

With the chant “Janken, Hoka Hoka, Hokkaido!” start each round.

The representative of the team that wins stays in place, while the losing player hands off to the next teammate.

There are variations where the team size changes as you play, so once everyone gets the hang of it, try some adaptations too!

Aiko, then go!

Rock-Paper-Scissors Twist Kids Can Enjoy: Aiko de Don!

Let’s enjoy a reflex-based game! Here’s an idea called “Aikode-Don.” This is a one-on-one game where players face each other and start in a seiza (kneeling) position.

With rock-paper-scissors, we usually focus on winning or losing, but in this game the key moment is when it’s a tie (aiko)! As soon as you tie, try to stand up faster than your opponent.

Once you get used to the game, try variations by changing how you sit—like a tuck sit or sitting with legs extended.

You can also raise the difficulty by adding a rule to stand up without using your hands!

Look that way! (Attchi muite hoi) — a Japanese children’s game phrase similar to ‘Look over there!’ used during the ‘acchi muite hoi’ game.

[Kindergarten Game] Rock, Paper, Scissors! Look That Way, Hoi!

A game that starts with rock-paper-scissors! Here’s an idea for “Acchi Muite Hoi.” It’s simple yet exciting—a game that’ll have you laughing before you know it! After winning rock-paper-scissors, you predict which direction your opponent will face to decide the winner; intuition and timing are key.

It’s easy to play with friends or family, and you’ll find yourselves smiling as you go.

The rules are simple, but the element of surprise and strategic mind games make it so fun that you’ll want to play again and again.

Growth Janken

[Rock-Paper-Scissors] Let’s have fun from preschoolers to elementary schoolers! Great for large-group indoor play.

If you win rock-paper-scissors, you level up! Here’s an idea for a “Growth Rock-Paper-Scissors” game.

Start in a crawling position like a baby.

Each time you win, you grow: from a crouching child to a standing adult, and so on.

You can play one-on-one or enjoy it with a large group.

To keep it fun, try customizing the pose for each growth stage, or set rules like “no playing rock-paper-scissors with the same person consecutively.” This way, you won’t get bored and everyone can keep having fun!