Double the thrills and excitement! Borrowed-Item Race prompts

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Keyboard playerSAKI
I’ve been playing the Electone since I was six, mainly performing Disney music, anime songs, and music from dramas and films. I post performance videos on YouTube and social media, and I also give concerts. Building on my Electone experience, I took up synthesizer and piano during my student years and performed at school-sponsored events. As a writer, I’ve covered not only music-related topics but a wide range of genres, so I hope to draw on my experience to deliver articles that make readers think, “I want to try that!” or “I want to listen to that!”

The classic event at sports festivals is the borrowing race, where you quickly find the specified item and head for the goal.

A variation called the “Borrow-a-Person Race,” which changes what you borrow from “things” to “people,” has been gaining popularity at sports festivals.

In this article, we’ll introduce recommended prompts for the Borrow-a-Person Race!

If you’re thinking, “I want to try it, but I don’t know what prompts to use,” or “I want funny ideas,” please use the prompts we introduce here as a reference.

The Borrow-a-Person Race involves even more interaction with others than the traditional borrowing race, making it perfect for deepening bonds with teammates and engaging with members of the community!

Appearance/Physique (1–10)

Person with twin-tails (pigtails)

A theme with lots of potential candidates! Here’s an idea featuring people with twin tails (pigtails).

How about setting a challenge to find people wearing twin tails on the day of the sports festival? At sports festivals, participants often compete while wearing caps, but twin tails are easy to spot even with a hat, so they’re highly recommended.

Plus, since many people are likely to qualify, it could bring you closer to winning the race.

It’s a wonderful prompt that can also spark interaction across different age groups! Definitely give it a try.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Graduate

At a sports day, it’s not just the students’ efforts that matter—support from teachers and spectators is essential too.

Here, we’re focusing on those who aren’t students, with the challenge of finding alumni among them.

You can’t tell at a glance whether someone graduated from this school, so quick movement and communication will be put to the test.

Through the theme of “alumni,” you might uncover people’s histories—like a teacher who actually graduated from this school, or families who have attended it for generations.

Raise the rankinglower

kappamaki

Report a problem

Left-handed person

You might discover some unexpected things in common! Here are ideas centered around left-handed people.

You probably see left-handed people in everyday life, right? How about incorporating a theme that puts the spotlight on left-handed individuals this time? From students to teachers to parents, those who relate will likely speak up.

You may even uncover shared traits you didn’t know about—“Oh, that person is left-handed too!” Consider using this as a theme for the special event of Sports Day.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Appearance/Physique (11–20)

scary teacher

Maybe they’re actually kind! Here are some ideas for “scary” teachers.

Isn’t there at least one teacher at every school who students think is scary? If a teacher is in charge of guidance to protect students’ safety, they might end up with a scary image…

However, if a teacher is smiling and having fun during a special event like Sports Day, their kindness and warmth will surely come across to the children.

The prompts will make both students and teachers a bit nervous, but please give them a try!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

A popular teacher

It’s exciting in so many ways! Here’s a fun idea featuring popular teachers.

How about adding the theme of “popular teacher” to the list of race prompts? It’s a unique prompt that lets you find out what kind of teacher the child who draws it likes.

And it won’t just make the participating kids’ hearts race—the teachers will be nervous too.

It’s sure to draw attention as everyone wonders which teachers the kids like most! Definitely give it a try.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Person with attendance number 〇

A prompt focused on students! Here are ideas from the person with attendance number X.

While prompts aimed at teachers, guardians, and community members can be exciting too, how about using attendance numbers that focus on students this time? If there’s variation across classes or grades, you can adjust by choosing a lower number or setting it to “the person with the last attendance number,” and so on.

Feel free to adapt it.

Try using attendance-number-based ideas to get students excited!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

principal

The challenge is to bring the principal, who is the highest authority at the school.

Since each school has only one principal, only one person can reach the goal.

Try incorporating ideas to heat up the competition—for example, having the principal wait in a distant location in advance—and put them into practice.

Raise the rankinglower

mutō

Report a problem

Human-type that’s kind of like XX (11–20)

Next, we’ll introduce a prompt about the image of “someone who seems like ___.” This challenge is about as hard as, or even harder than, the previous appearance-related prompt.

Here, competitors must choose based entirely on the image they have of the people around them.

However, if there’s someone on the team who is commonly seen as “that type,” it can become an easy prompt.

Have the referee or designated judge decide whether the person you brought to the goal fits the prompt.