Parent-Child Events for Sports Day: Recommended Ideas for Nurseries and Kindergartens
Parent-child events at kindergarten and nursery school sports days are a great way for families to have fun together and get everyone excited! Here, we’ll share ideas for parent-child competitions at sports days.
From classics like sprints and beanbag tosses to obstacle courses and quirky games, there’s a wide variety to choose from.
It’s also wonderful for children to see their parents getting really into it.
You can easily adapt the activities to fit your space and number of participants, so use these as a reference and brainstorm fun ideas with your fellow teachers.
Imagine the children’s smiles as you prepare, and make it a joyful sports day!
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- [Senior Class Events] A collection of game ideas to liven up a sports day for 5-year-olds
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[Parent-Child Events for Sports Day] Recommended Ideas for Nursery Schools and Kindergartens (1–10)
piggyback race
The “piggyback race,” where parents run while carrying their child on their back and aim for the finish line.
Even if you’re used to carrying your child and have a sense of their weight, running is a whole different story.
Even fast runners need to think about balance so they don’t drop their child while running.
Hold them securely on your back and head for the goal as quickly as you can! If you don’t push yourself, your child might be disappointed after you finish.
Make sure your child holds on tight, too!
Big Pants Relay
Let’s have a relay where a parent and child get into a pair of oversized pants called “dekapants.” The dekapants take the place of a baton.
Since you can’t move well unless you keep in step, this tests how the pair cooperates! After one lap, return to your team and pass the dekapants to the next pair.
It’s not just about speed—syncing your rhythm is key—so you’ll be on the edge of your seat until the very end! This event makes you want to cheer not only for the pairs on your own team but for everyone running their hardest.
Fan ping-pong
Table tennis and tennis are Olympic events, but they can be a bit difficult to include as events for two-year-olds at a sports day.
So let’s turn the racket into a uchiwa fan to make it fun and accessible for two-year-olds.
With a larger hitting surface, even infants can enjoy participating.
Using ping-pong balls, soft foam balls, or even balloons would be fun as well.
For a parent-child event, it could be exciting if the parents toss the ball to make it easier for the child to hit, or conversely, the parents return the balls tossed by the children.
[Parent-Child Events for Sports Day] Recommended Ideas for Nurseries and Kindergartens (11–20)
Giant ball rolling
Giant ball rolling is a game that really heats up when done as a team competition! When adults join in, the height difference makes ball control more challenging—that’s part of the fun.
Let’s all work together while paying attention to our calls and chants.
Decorating the ball with your preschool’s original designs can add to the enjoyment.
Adults should make adjustments—like crouching slightly—so children can reach and touch the ball.
Which team will be the fastest? It’s the kind of event that makes adults unintentionally get serious.
Because falls and collisions are a concern, make sure the children get plenty of practice on their own beforehand.
Treasure Hunt Relay
It’s a treasure-hunt relay where children pick up the item they feel is “the most precious treasure” from a bunch of randomly placed objects and carry it forward! The rules can be customized endlessly.
You can line up the children’s favorite items that you’ve collected from parents in advance and have them find their own, or have them search for the crafts they made during art time—the possibilities are endless.
It’s a great chance for teachers to get creative.
Some children might be so dazzled by all the treasures that they can’t decide and have a hard time leaving the spot.
Swirly Mixed Juice
Let me introduce “Kurukuru Mixed Juice,” an activity that parents and babies can enjoy together.
Start by holding your child in your arms.
Spin around the pillar to mix the juice.
Then choose your favorite juice from the table, clink glasses with the teacher, and you’re at the goal! It could be even more exciting if you increase the number of laps around the pillar according to age.
Work together as a parent-child team to make a delicious mixed juice—good luck! Playing the “Mixed Juice” song as sports day background music sounds fun, too.
Candy-eating contest
We’d like to introduce a simple but fun candy-biting race that both adults and children can enjoy.
A parent and child hold hands at the start.
Without using your hands, use your mouth to grab a candy hidden in the powder inside a food storage container.
Since you can’t see where the candy is, your face might end up covered in white powder while you search! Once you get the candy, hold hands and run around the cone together toward the finish line.
Have the guardian take the candy for you! We recommend wearing comfortable clothes that allow easy movement and that you don’t mind getting dirty.