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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Psychological battle games that will get the class excited (1–10)
Air-reading game
Read the room so you don’t overlap with your friends! Here’s an idea for a game about reading the room.
It’s a unique game that builds the ability to act while watching the timing and what’s happening around you.
Everyone sits in a circle, and with a simple rule: you stand up one by one while saying numbers in order.
If your timing to stand overlaps with a friend, you’re out.
If everyone manages to stand without overlapping, then do the same to sit back down in order.
Through the game, you’ll likely develop a sense for reading the room and making split-second decisions.
The atmosphere can feel tense at the start, but when timings accidentally overlap, you won’t be able to help but burst into laughter!
Popular with kids! How to play a realistic Werewolf-style game
This is a Werewolf-style game that incorporates real movement, played by setting up multiple rooms such as classrooms and a gym.
The basic rules are similar to standard Werewolf, but a distinctive feature is that during the night phase, the werewolves carry out attacks by secretly tapping citizens or lovers on the back with a finger.
Because players actually move around, the tension and sense of realism increase dramatically.
During the deduction phase, players need keen insight to spot subtle inconsistencies in expressions and behavior, allowing for an intellectual battle of wits that sets it apart from simple tag.
Using multiple rooms creates an authentic atmosphere, transforming the classroom into a game stage.
It’s also recommended as a recreation activity that boosts children’s discussion skills.
Kyun-Kyun Lovely Game
https://www.tiktok.com/@z_drama_ntv/video/7073718615610100993The “Kyunkyun Lovely Game” is a game where you dance to music, show each other your hearts, and test which pair has the best chemistry.
First, form pairs of two and stand back-to-back.
Start the music, then turn around and strike a pose at the same time! There are three types of poses: a heart made with one hand by clenching your fist and sticking up your thumb, a heart made with both hands, and a heart made above your head using both arms.
If you match on all of them, your compatibility is top-notch! If you’re close but don’t match even once, it might be a little shocking…!
Psychological battle games that excite the class (11–20)
Wink Killer
It’s a psychological battle game similar to Werewolf called the Wink Killer Game.
First, everyone draws a card to decide who the killer is.
The killer, without letting others notice, winks at someone when they make eye contact.
The person who gets winked at waits a short moment, then announces they were winked at and leaves the game.
The killer wins if they can keep winking until only one person remains; if they are identified as the killer along the way, they lose.
KY game
A KY (can’t read the room) game where participants take turns giving a prompt, and everyone simultaneously strikes a pose inspired by that prompt.
Anyone whose pose doesn’t match anyone else’s accumulates minus points, and in the end, the person with the most minus points is the “KY,” the one who couldn’t read the room.
The more participants there are, the more complex it gets and the more the KY-ness stands out, making it a surefire hit.
It’s a game you can start right away without any props, so give it a try!
Without Katakana
“Katakana-ashi” is a commercially available card game, and each card has a different loanword written in katakana.
The person who poses the question draws a card, checks the prompt, and then explains that katakana word without using any katakana! The guessers listen to the explanation and try to figure out what the prompt is.
It sounds easy, but it’s actually hard to explain words we use every day—like elevator, hamburger, or login—using only Japanese and no katakana! That said, even junior high school students can probably come up with fun and skillful explanations, even for slightly tough prompts.
It really makes you think, and sometimes wildly unexpected descriptions come out, which makes it surprisingly entertaining!
Who Calls Me
It’s a game called “Who Calls Me,” where you guess who’s speaking or whose voice it is.
Since you’d figure it out if they spoke normally, you first inhale helium—the kind sold at novelty shops that changes your voice—and then talk.
If people speak one by one, their speaking quirks might give them away.
Having several people speak all at once is tricky, but it really amps up the fun!