[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 childcare and kids] Games, activities, and craft ideas to enjoy for Hinamatsuri (41–50)
Hinamatsuri Letter Rearrangement Quiz
Let me introduce a Hinamatsuri-themed letter rearrangement quiz, perfect for children who are starting to take an interest in characters.
Letters related to Hinamatsuri are jumbled and presented as a quiz.
When you put the scattered letters together, they transform into a single character.
Take your time to think about what character it becomes and give your answer.
Depending on the child’s age, it might be better to use illustrations as puzzle pieces instead of letters.
Don’t rush—have fun and give it a try!
[For Preschool/Children] Hina Matsuri Games, Activities, and Craft Ideas to Enjoy (51–60)
Hinamatsuri History Quiz
The history of Hinamatsuri is very old, going all the way back to the Heian period.
Stories about the Heian era might be difficult for children, but you could turn the history into a quiz—like how the festival has existed since long ago, how people used to make paper hina dolls and perform nagashi-bina by sending them down the river to carry away illness and misfortune, and how that led to today’s custom of displaying hina dolls.
I think there are many historical facts that even adults don’t know.
Let’s have the teachers join the quiz too and enjoy Hinamatsuri together!
Hinamatsuri Quiz with Explanations
It seems like doing a Hina Doll (Hinamasuri) quiz at events would really liven things up.
This quiz helps you learn in detail about the kimonos the Hina dolls wear and the origins of Hinamatsuri foods.
It uses gentle, easy-to-understand language so kids can enjoy it too.
There are words we’ve heard before but don’t really know the meaning of, right? The meanings are explained clearly, so you might even become a Hinamatsuri expert.
Try it together with the kids!
Hinamatsuri Spot the Differences
Kids have amazing memories, don’t they? Here’s a memory quiz using Hina doll illustrations.
First, have them memorize the Hina doll picture.
Next, when the screen changes, ask them to pick the same Hina doll illustration.
The images may start to look similar, but try to find the real Hina doll and choose the correct one.
Because it gets the brain working, it also helps activate memory.
It’s also a great idea to make quiz questions about details like the position of the Hina doll’s crown.
Give it a try!
Hinamatsuri Food Quiz
Let’s turn foods eaten during Hinamatsuri into an illustration quiz! Draw pictures of items like hina-arare and hishi-mochi on construction paper.
Show the children only part of each illustration and ask, “What do you think this is?” and have them guess the answer.
When they get it right, it’s lovely to also explain why that food is eaten on Hinamatsuri.
Especially for preschoolers, telling them, “Teach this to your family at home, too,” can boost their motivation even more! Since hishi-mochi and hina-arare share the same colors, they make great trick questions.
Have fun with the quiz while getting creative with your illustrations!
Hinamatsuri Panel Theater
How about enjoying a panel theater themed around Hinamatsuri on March 3? When we think of Hinamatsuri, the image of displaying Hina dolls is very strong, but do you know the roles of the figures who surround the Emperor and Empress dolls? Through the panel theater, let’s learn why the Three Court Ladies and the Five Musicians are there and what roles they play.
Try incorporating not only the dolls but also traditional items associated with Hinamatsuri—like hishi-mochi—into the story.
Chigiri-e: Making Hina Dolls
These torn-paper Hina dolls are fun even for little kids! Torn-paper collage is a play activity that helps develop children’s fine motor skills.
It’s also effective for fostering dexterity and finger movement, so why not incorporate it into your Hinamatsuri crafts? For this project, simply apply glue to a paper cup and stick on pieces of torn paper.
Finish by adding the small parts of the Hina dolls, and you’re done.
You can also put the paper cup and torn paper into a plastic bag while you work to keep things tidy and mess-free.
Try tearing and arranging origami papers with different patterns!
