Fun activities for junior high school students. Recreation games.
Introducing recreational activities for middle schoolers to enjoy during breaks, after school, or in free periods! We’ve gathered games that get everyone excited with friends and group activities that strengthen class bonds.
From games that test your ability to read the room to ones that challenge memory and reaction speed, there are lots of genres to enjoy.
They can even be a great chance to get closer to your friends! All the activities have simple rules and can be started right away, so invite your classmates and give them a try!
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Wordplay & Shiritori Game Collection (1–10)
Weathering With You Game
This is a game that uses RADWIMPS’ song “Is There Still Anything That Love Can Do?” and can be enjoyed by two players.
The song, created as the theme for the animated film Weathering With You, is notable for Yojiro Noda’s powerful vocals.
In the game, not only your sense of humor but also your singing ability will be tested.
One player sings, “Is there still anything that [blank] can do?” and the other sings their answer to the given prompt in time with the song’s relaxed rhythm.
Try to keep it going for as long as you can!
Oh My Lyrics Game
In this game titled “Oh My Lyrics Game,” you use Google Translate to translate the original lyrics into English and then back into Japanese.
The host reads the lyrics, and the challenger has to guess the song title.
The idea of turning Google Translate’s subtle shifts in nuance into a game is unique.
You can enjoy it as if you were taking on a quiz show.
Some lyrics can be answered instantly, and some are so funny they’ll make you laugh—so it’s sure to be a hit!
Shiritori with “〇〇”
When you’re bored, a classic way to kill time is shiritori.
Let’s level it up a bit and turn it into a game you can enjoy in real life.
Instead of just playing with words, how about doing shiritori with objects? Bring actual items from the room to play.
If you don’t have many things at home, it’ll turn into quite a challenging game.
No-No Yo Game
The “Iyaiyayo Game” is a game where you say things that would be unpleasant if they happened and have fun with it.
The game proceeds to the melody of the American folk song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” It’s a game you can enjoy with close friends and a great way to sharpen your sense of humor! If your parody lyrics are a bit off, someone may call a stop, so it’s a good idea to build up a stock of ideas in your daily life so you can improvise funny lyrics that fit the melody.
Picture shiritori
Picture shiritori, a version of the word-linking game where you draw instead of speak, is a quick and fun pastime you can enjoy even during free time in middle school! The rules are the same as regular shiritori: you keep drawing pictures that start with the last sound of the previous picture’s name.
What’s different from the regular version is that, depending on how well someone draws, the next person might not be able to tell what it is and fail to continue.
Even among skilled artists, drawings can be so good they’re hard to recognize! As long as you have the school essentials—writing tools and paper like a notebook—you can play anytime.
It’s an easy, low-effort game that always gets people excited.
Hiragana Karaoke Showdown
“Hiragana Karaoke” is a game where the person who can quickly sing a song whose lyrics start with the specified Japanese syllable wins! For example, if the specified syllable is “a,” you sing a song whose lyrics begin with “a.” Any part of the lyrics is fine—whether it’s the verse or the chorus.
The basic way to play is to prepare slips of paper with one syllable of the gojūon on each and draw them one by one, but if you have three or more players, someone can simply call out a random syllable instead.
The key to winning is how many songs—and their lyrics—you know.
Build up a wide repertoire, from J-pop to children’s songs!
Ten Times Game
Many of you may know the “say-it-10-times game.” You say a word ten times, then you’re asked a quiz whose answer sounds similar to that word, and you end up saying the wrong answer even though it should be easy.
Sometimes the respondent gives an answer different from what the quizmaster intended… but that’s what makes it fun!