Fun things to enjoy in January: from indoor games to traditional New Year’s pastimes
January, when we welcome the New Year, is the perfect time to enjoy activities that are a little different from the everyday! From traditional New Year’s games like karuta, fukuwarai, and spinning tops to easy, casual fun like charades and plastic-bottle bowling, why not try some seasonal games this time of year? In this article, we’re sharing plenty of ideas for January activities that will put smiles on the faces of family and friends.
Whether it’s games that get you moving indoors despite the cold or ones you can enjoy while connecting with older adults, discover the charm of each activity and make wonderful memories to start the new year.
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Fun activities to enjoy in January: From indoor games to traditional New Year’s pastimes (21–30)
Ball fishing
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How about enjoying some ball fishing with a makeshift fishing set made from cardboard? First, roll up a piece of cardboard into a rod shape and wrap it with vinyl tape.
Secure a vinyl string to the handle with vinyl tape.
Next, crumple scrap paper or newspaper into a ball, place the vinyl string through the center, and wrap it with packing tape.
Leave some sticky surface exposed to create the fishing line.
Now compete to see how many balls you can “catch”!
Battledore and shuttlecock
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When it comes to traditional New Year’s games, hanetsuki immediately comes to mind.
It’s a sport that truly anyone can enjoy, from small children to older adults.
Even if you don’t have a paddle or shuttlecock, no problem.
Stack and fold items like milk cartons, flyers, or construction paper into the shape of a paddle, tidy up the edges, and secure them with vinyl tape to make your hanetsuki paddle.
Add sparkly wrapping paper or stickers for decorations to give it a festive New Year’s touch.
For the shuttlecock, attaching a vinyl string to a balloon makes its movement easy to follow and boosts the fun!
Fun activities to enjoy in January: From indoor games to traditional New Year’s pastimes (31–40)
Ohajiki (traditional Japanese coin-flicking game pieces)
Ohajiki are smooth, round pieces that look like hardened water, beautifully colored in red and blue.
Arrange them so they don’t overlap, then flick one with your finger to hit another.
There’s also a fun game called “nakanuki,” where two arranged ohajiki are treated like a soccer goal.
You can stack them in piles, or set them up and topple them like dominoes—there are many ways to play.
Because ohajiki have been enjoyed since long ago, they appeal to people of all ages.
Kagome Kagome
With its mysterious lyrics, Kagome Kagome is a game many people have probably played at least once.
The melody also has a distinctive atmosphere.
You decide the “oni” (it) by rock-paper-scissors or similar, and the person who becomes the oni sits in the center so they can’t see around them.
The others join hands, form a circle around the oni, and walk around while singing.
When the song ends, stop.
Keeping their eyes covered, the oni tries to guess who is standing behind them.
If they guess correctly, they switch roles with that person.
It might help to give hints—like having the person behind the oni make a sound—when the oni is guessing.
rice cake pounding play
These days, fewer households make mochi at home.
However, in Japan it has long been a lucky New Year’s tradition to pound mochi.
You might find children’s centers or community centers holding mochi-pounding events in January.
Mochi pounding has a reputation for being tough to prepare and physically demanding.
So let’s all have fun at home with an easy mochi-pounding craft.
Fold thick paper back and forth to make something like a spring that stretches and contracts with a bounce.
Use bubble wrap to make the mochi and craft a mallet out of styrofoam to complete the set.
When you strike the mochi with the mallet, you can enjoy the feeling of actually pounding mochi.
flutter-flutter
The flip-flap mechanical toy has a nostalgic feel, yet it’s always fascinating and fun no matter how old you are.
How about playing with a handmade flip-flap during New Year’s when everyone gets together? First, cut slightly thick paper—like mat board or cardboard—into a rectangle, then connect the pieces with strips of paper cut into narrow bands.
For each rectangular piece, attach two strips at the top and one at the bottom, then fold each strip over and glue it in place.
Once you learn the pattern, you can make it easily while having fun, so give it a try!
Indoor snow play
These days, even in winter, it’s becoming rarer for snow to fall.
There may even be children who have never seen real snow.
So let’s try a craft you can enjoy indoors that creates the feeling of falling snow.
Prepare an empty tissue box.
Make a slit in the plastic opening of the box.
Attach the box to a cloud-shaped piece of construction paper, and place small torn pieces of paper inside the box.
When you tap the box, the torn paper will fall as if it were snow.
With just a little creativity using familiar items, you can make a winter-themed craft.