[Childcare] Sports Day activity ideas. Let’s make the Sports Day exciting!
Sports days at nursery schools and kindergartens are important events where everyone can see how the children are growing!
By preparing fun activities, you can create a sports day that both children and adults will enjoy.
Here, we’ll introduce a variety of events: those done cooperatively as a class, activities for younger children, and games that parents and children can participate in together!
All of them are ideas that motivate children and allow guardians to feel their children’s development.
Use these as a reference to tailor activities to the children and create a fun and engaging sports day!
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- [Childcare] Unique event ideas to try at a sports day
[Early Childhood Education] Sports day activity ideas. Let's make the sports day exciting! (41–50)
Playing with various balls
Unique and fun! Here are a variety of beanbag-toss game ideas.
When you think of “tamaire,” many people probably picture tossing cloth balls into a high basket.
This time, let’s try some variations—like using a lower basket or aiming for the basket on the back of a running opponent.
With these twists on the traditional game, children are sure to get even more excited.
Give them a try!
[Early Childhood Education] Sports Day event ideas. Let’s liven up Sports Day! (51–60)
Emergency dispatch! Little Firefighters
Let’s work together to complete the mission! Emergency dispatch! Here are some ideas for a “Little Firefighters” activity.
Some children may dream of becoming firefighters, inspired by working vehicles or their admiration for the profession.
This time, let’s transform into firefighters and take part in a series of challenges.
Sports Day is a special event held once a year, and for the older children, it’s also their last one.
Take this opportunity to create memories with an event where children team up with their parents to clear missions.
Give it a try!
Zip along as a parent and child!
Let’s set off on a parent-child journey! Here’s a dance track called “Oyako de Byuun.” In this song, you spread your arms like an airplane and move around, and caregivers can dance while giving children piggyback rides.
At the end, you can lift the children and let them “fly,” and it’s packed with active play that kids will love and beg to do again.
Because it encourages lots of physical contact, it will help strengthen the parent-child bond.
It also sounds fun to dance while asking, “Where are we going?”
Animal Role-Playing Race
This is one of the events I’d recommend for parent–child competitions.
The rules are simple: a certain animal is given as the theme, and parents and children race while imitating that animal.
For example, if it’s a koala, the parent carries the child; if it’s a giraffe, the child rides on the parent’s shoulders; if it’s a flamingo, both hop on one leg together.
Aim for the finish line while fully becoming the animal.
By adding the rule of “acting like the animal,” not just running together, the event feels fresh and fun!
Crawling race
The Crawling Race is an event for zero-year-old babies that they participate in with their parents.
As the name suggests, they compete to see who can reach the finish line the fastest by crawling! Of course, babies don’t understand the course, so their guardians call out, “This way!” to guide them to the goal.
Some babies won’t move from the start, and depending on their mood, some might not be able to participate at all.
It’s a laid-back event that everyone can enjoy.
Ball-carrying race
This is the “Ball Carry Relay,” where you transport a ball without dropping it.
A parent and child hold the ends of a sheet of newspaper and carry a rubber ball placed on top.
If you drop it, you start over.
If you pull too hard or run, the newspaper might tear, so be careful and match your pace as you carry the ball.
It should be exciting as a team relay, too.
Moving Tamaire
Putting balls into a basket carried by a person is a moving ball-toss game.
As you’d expect, since the target can run around, it’s harder than the version with a stationary basket.
But it really depends on how the basket carrier plays it.
Especially at preschool or kindergarten sports days, there’s also the reverse approach of moving closer so it’s easier for the kids to score.
That way, even little ones who can’t throw far can enjoy it.
Letting the children take turns as the basket carrier also sounds like it would be exciting and fun.
