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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- [Preschool] Fun event ideas to include in the sports day for the junior (younger) class
- [Senior Class Events] A collection of game ideas to liven up a sports day for 5-year-olds
- Exciting for 4-year-olds! A collection of sports day event ideas for preschoolers (middle class)
- [Childcare] Recommended circuit competition ideas for a sports day for 2-year-olds
- [Parent-Child Rec] Recreational activities and games for parents and children to enjoy together—also great for sports days.
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[Parent-Child Events for Sports Day] Recommended Ideas for Nurseries and Kindergartens (21–30)
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!
Parent-child showdown with plastic bottles
Arrange water-filled plastic bottles at random.
The children knock the bottles down, and the parents set them back upright.
Treat each child-and-parent pair as one team and compete to see how many bottles can be set upright within the time limit.
Fixing the bottles toppled by energetic kids is no easy task! It could also be fun to count how many bottles remain knocked over at the end of the game and crown a child champion.
You’ll get so into it, you might forget it’s a competition.
Super Mario-style ball toss game
Introducing a Super Mario-style ball toss that makes you feel like you’re inside a video game.
The rules are the same as a regular ball toss.
When the start signal sounds, throw balls into the basket with a Mario illustration on it.
Prepare colorful balls, and you can even stick Mario illustrations on some to turn them into “item balls,” turning it into a ball toss where you collect items—sounds fun, right? The winner is decided by the number of balls that land in the basket.
Give it a try together and enjoy seeing what kinds of items you can collect!
Checckori Tamaire (Checckori Ball Toss)
@omiyamichinoko Checckori Tamaire (Checckori Ball Toss)Ball TossCheccori#Checcoli TamaireSports DayNursery teacher / Childcare worker#Nursery schoolNursery school teacher#Omiya Michinoko Nursery School
Che Che Kori – Oto no Kakehashi Children's Choir
Let us introduce Chekkori Tamaire, a game where everyone has fun dancing together.
Move your body joyfully by dancing to the Che Chekkori song.
As soon as the music stops, throw the balls toward the basket.
Repeat the same sequence within the time limit and compete to see how many balls end up in the basket at the end.
Since ball tossing pauses while everyone is dancing, the whole group can get excited together—that’s a key point.
Chekkori Tamaire gets everyone at the venue dancing, so be sure to give it a try!
Various beanbag toss games
In autumn, many daycare centers and kindergartens start practicing for their sports days.
When it comes to sports day classics, tamaire (ball toss) is a staple.
Here are some fun variations on the classic ball toss game.
The first variation uses about three baskets, each labeled with a large point value.
Children throw balls into the baskets, and at the end, you count the balls in each basket and determine the winner by total points.
It’s also exciting to increase the distance to the baskets depending on the children’s ages.
The second variation is a chase-and-toss game where one child runs while wearing a basket on their back.
The other children chase and try to toss balls into the moving basket.
Both the runner and the chasers are running, which makes it lively and fun.
Try incorporating these into your sports day!
Ping-pong ball toss game
Here’s a ping-pong ball toss game you can enjoy even at an indoor mini sports festival.
It’s a fun activity that really livens things up.
Fix a clothespin to a pair of chopsticks, attach them together, then glue a bottle cap to the front.
Set a ping-pong ball in place and try to shoot it into a goal made from a paper cup.
Count how many balls go in—the person with the most wins.
This ping-pong ball toss lets you enjoy that sports-day feeling even in a limited indoor space.
Give it a try!
Panda Ball Toss with a Laundry Net
Here’s a panda ball-toss game using everyday laundry nets that will liven up your sports day.
Prepare a two-tiered laundry net for the basket section, a hot glue gun, hook-and-loop fasteners, and scissors.
Cut the two-tier laundry net with scissors and use the lower section.
Prepare large pieces of felt for the mesh area, and glue on the eyes, nose, and mouth to create the panda’s face.
Glue together felt pieces cut in half to form the mouth.
Prepare two milk cartons, fix them inside the mouth, and set them so balls can roll in smoothly.
Hang the finished panda on the wall and enjoy playing the ball-toss game!