[For Preschoolers & Kids] Game, Play, and Craft Ideas to Enjoy on Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day)
March 3rd is Hinamatsuri, the Doll Festival.
Some preschools and kindergartens include it as one of their traditional events, and some families may be thinking of celebrating it at home.
We’d love for children to become fond of Hinamatsuri culture while enjoying its festive atmosphere.
So this time, we’re introducing a collection of Hinamatsuri-themed activities, games, and craft ideas that can be enjoyed at preschools and children’s groups.
Every idea is something kids will love.
Adults, please enjoy the traditional festival together with the children as well.
- [Childcare] Fun for Hinamatsuri! Performance ideas perfect for the event
- [Kindergarten/Daycare] Games and Performances for Fun Events
- [Childcare] A Collection of Origami Ideas for Hinamatsuri: Let’s Make Them with Kids!
- [Childcare] Fun Craft Ideas for Hinamatsuri (Girls' Day)
- [Children’s Club] Easy and fun indoor games. Exciting party games
- Hand-play songs to sing for Hinamatsuri. Songs everyone can enjoy.
- [Childcare] Recommended crafts and activities for March, such as Hina Matsuri (Doll’s Festival) and cherry blossoms
- Indoor games that different ages can enjoy! Ideas for fun everyone can get excited about together
- [Entertainment/Performances] Ideas for Performances to Introduce at Kindergartens and Nursery Schools—Great for Children and Staff
- [Childcare] Perfect for Hinamatsuri! Hanging Hina doll craft ideas you can make with kids
- [Daycare/Preschool] Let’s Make Handmade Hinamatsuri Costumes! An Idea Collection You’ll Want to Copy
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
- Games and activities everyone can enjoy together. A collection of fun play ideas.
[For Preschoolers & Kids] Games, Activities, and Craft Ideas to Enjoy on Hinamatsuri (21–30)
Let’s share the origin of Hinamatsuri with a paper puppet show.
Papercraft puppet shows called “paper theater” that combine kamishibai and puppetry are known as paperserts.
Compared to kamishibai, paperserts offer more flexibility in storytelling and are easy to make, so why not perform a tale about Hinamatsuri (the Doll Festival)? You can include many topics: the history of Hinamatsuri, the meaning of displaying hina dolls, and the names and roles of each doll.
Singing Hinamatsuri songs together with the paper puppets would likely delight the children.
Featuring familiar characters or animals that kids love would also make it even more exciting.
bean container box
Let’s make a little box for beans with origami! First, fold the paper in half into a square twice, crease well, then unfold back to the original.
Next, fold all four corners to the center (a “zabuton” fold), then fold the left and right edges to the center and crease.
Now, open the paper back up, leaving only the top and bottom corners folded.
This time, fold the top and bottom edges to the center, crease, and unfold.
With the creasing complete, fold in the left and right sides so that the central square becomes the bottom, forming the box shape.
Try using origami with patterns you like, and decorate with stickers to make it unique!
Hinamatsuri Quiz
How about livening things up with a quiz about Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day)? There might be fun facts that not only children but also teachers and parents don’t know.
It would be lovely to learn together and strengthen your bonds! Try asking questions in a multiple-choice format, such as: “When did Hinamatsuri begin?”, “Why do we display the dolls?”, and “Where should the Empress (Ohinasama) and Emperor (Odairisama) be placed?”.
By learning about this event, you may enjoy Hinamatsuri even more and feel a greater sense of familiarity with it.
Picture Book Read-Aloud: Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival)
The picture book “Hinamatsuri” is a perfect read-aloud story in which Rin-chan’s mom gently answers questions related to Girls’ Day.
It also makes a great activity for Hinamatsuri events, so please feel free to use it as a reference! It explains why we display Hina dolls, the meanings behind eating chirashi sushi and hina-arare, and more—content that will satisfy not only children but adults as well.
Even children who don’t yet understand the significance of Hinamatsuri can get a feel for the holiday’s atmosphere through read-aloud time.
Hinamatsuri drawing song
This is a drawing song themed around Hinamatsuri that’s perfect for performances or crafts at a Hinamatsuri party.
Let’s complete the Empress (Ohina-sama) and Emperor (Odairi-sama) while singing along to this humorous drawing song! Children will surely feel excited as the picture gradually comes together.
After drawing while singing with the kids, you can use crayons or colored pencils to color it any way you like and make it even more fun.
Drawing songs are also great for nurturing children’s imagination.
Panel Theater: Happy Hinamatsuri
A panel theater where you enjoy the story by sticking illustrations onto a panel board and taking them off.
How about using this panel theater to liven up Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day)? While singing the children’s song “Ureshii Hinamatsuri” together with the kids, complete the tiered doll display! Be sure to try it when hosting a Hinamatsuri event at a daycare or kindergarten.
After finishing the doll display with the panel theater, it could also be fun to talk with the children about the roles of each Hina doll.
Fukuwarai for the Doll Festival
Fukuwarai is a familiar New Year’s game, but why not try arranging it in a Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day) version too? It’s also a great activity for making crafts for Hinamatsuri in nursery schools and kindergartens, so give it a try! In keeping with Hinamatsuri, let’s adapt the face outline for fukuwarai to look like the Empress (Ohinasama) or the Emperor (Odairisama).
Depending on the children’s ages, teachers can prepare the pieces in advance, or children who can use scissors can cut construction paper and make their own fukuwarai by hand.