No worries even in the rain! Fun recreational activities you can do in the gym
Introducing fun recreation activities you can enjoy in the gym! When you hear variety games or cooperative games, you might imagine playing outside, but there are plenty of activities and recreations you can enjoy in a gym.
Even when rain or snow keeps you indoors, you can still build your fitness in the gym.
Basketball, futsal, dodgeball—there are tons of games and activities everyone can enjoy together! Try making time to be active in the gym with friends or family while having fun.
Exercise energizes both your mind and body!
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Boost stamina and motor skills! Indoor games that use the whole body (1–10)
How many people can ride? Game
The “How Many Can Fit?” game is a simple way to enjoy a little thrill.
In some regions, it’s also called the “Newspaper Game.” All you need is something people can stand on together that can also be folded, like a newspaper or a picnic sheet.
The rules are very simple: spread the sheet on the floor and have people step onto it one by one.
In some areas, participants say things like “May I come in?” and “Go ahead” as they get on.
Repeat this process, and once everyone is on, the group succeeds if they can hold their positions for a set number of seconds.
Once you get the hang of it, it’s fun to fold the sheet to make it smaller bit by bit for an extra challenge.
pulling up a daikon radish
“Daikon Pulling” is a game played with two roles: the Daikon (radish) team and the Oni (tagger) team.
First, the children playing the Daikon lie face down on the floor in a circle.
At this time, they should link arms with the children next to them.
Then the children playing the Oni pull on the Daikon children’s legs, trying to pull the radishes out.
When a Daikon child’s arms come apart and they get pulled out, they join the Oni team.
The winners are the children who manage to keep their arms linked until the time limit ends.
There’s also a variation where you sit back-to-back and link arms.
It’s a highly recommended game you can enjoy in many different ways!
Lineout game
Line-Out Baseball is a variant of the familiar Japanese pastime adapted for a gymnasium’s limited space so even small children can enjoy it.
After forming teams, play begins not with a pitched ball but by hitting a ball placed on a tee.
When the batter hits the ball, they earn points by touching a cone and returning to home.
Set point values by cone position—1 point, 2 points, and 3 points.
If, before the batter gets back home, the fielding side catches the ball and the entire fielding team lines up behind the catcher, the batter is out.
By hitting, catching, and running, everyone stays active while learning teamwork.
Let’s go to the zoo
Do you know the popular preschool and kindergarten game “Mōjū-gari e Ikō yo” (Let’s Go Hunt Wild Animals)? You sing the Mōjū-gari song while dancing.
As you dance, the teacher calls out the name of an animal.
The game is to form a group with the same number of people as the number of syllables in that animal’s name.
Once you figure out the number, loudly call out how many people you need—like “X people!”—so you can gather teammates quickly.
That’s the key to forming a team fast.
Also, with the fun, upbeat rhythm of the song that kids love, they’ll be hopping and bouncing with joy!
Boost stamina and coordination! Indoor games that engage the whole body (11–20)
dance
Dance is a great activity to do in the gym.
You can blast music using the gym’s speakers, so it’s highly recommended.
In recent years, “dance cover” videos posted on YouTube and TikTok have become extremely popular.
Different dances trend depending on what’s popular at the time.
Dance isn’t just fun—it really gets your body moving.
So even kids who aren’t good at sports may enjoy being active through dance.
Also, having students teach each other choreography can strengthen class bonds and help foster leadership.
Hand-holding dribble
Hold hands to form a circle, keep the ball inside the circle, and dribble while aiming for the goal.
The team that reaches the goal the fastest without letting the ball go outside the circle wins.
It seems the difficulty will change depending on the size of the circle.
Moving beanbag toss
Speaking of tamaire (ball toss), it’s a popular event familiar from school sports days! This “moving tamaire” is different from the usual version: one person wears a basket on their back and runs away, while the others chase and try to throw balls into it.
Even the regular ball toss gets heated, so if the basket is moving, it’s sure to be a blast! Try adjusting roles so it’s neither too hard nor too easy—for example, have a fleet-footed person carry the basket, or let adults be the runners if children are doing the chasing.