[Childcare] Unique event ideas to try at a sports day

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.
Nursery Teacher Mom Writertsukada moe
After working for five years at an after-school childcare club and three years at a nursery school, I began working as a freelance writer. I’m a mother of two children. Inspired by playing the flute in the school wind ensemble in elementary school, I joined a jazz club at university. I’ve also incorporated ukulele and piano performance into childcare. Playing, laughing, feeling sad, feeling frustrated—through all kinds of experiences, I want children to grow.

A sports day is a precious once-a-year occasion where you can witness children’s growth.

Classic events are fun, but here we’ll introduce some unique, slightly unusual ones!

With quirky movements and creative ideas, kids can enjoy practicing even more.

You’ll also see more moments that bring spontaneous smiles to parents watching.

If you mix these events in between the standard ones, the whole sports day becomes even more entertaining.

By all means, create a sports day that leaves the children saying, “That was so much fun!”

[Childcare] Unique Athletic Meet Event Ideas to Try (21–30)

Pseudo ball-toss game

@kichijyo
Sports day play: trying a make-believe beanbag toss 😆#Nursery school #Tamahiyo Sports Day Ball Toss Play #Ball Gunma Fujioka City Kichijoji Nursery School
♬ A warm 6/8 beat march – Sheep Sounds

Here’s a simple, pretend tamaire (ball-toss) game that little kids can enjoy indoors.

Prepare a basket and some soft balls.

Attach the basket to a sturdy post or pillar.

The key is to set it at a height the children can reach.

Have the kids throw the balls toward the basket.

Since it can be played indoors, it’s also great for rainy days when the weather is bad.

Try playing it with children who want to imitate the older kids doing tamaire.

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mayumi

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Anpanman’s Infinite Ball Toss!

@nacchi_asobi
Totally obsessed! Using our favorite Anpanman for • Infinite Ball Toss • ▶ Materials • Colorful balls (bought at Daiso!) • 2L plastic bottle • Laundry net • Vinyl tape • Anpanman snack bag • OPP tape (clear packing tape) • Double-sided tape ▶ How to make 1) Cut off the bottom third of the plastic bottle. 2) Cut out Anpanman from the snack bag and stick it onto the bottle with OPP tape. • It was hard to stick when I just placed the cutout and tried wrapping tape from the edge, so I put a looped piece of tape (double-sided tape works too!) on the back of Anpanman to fix it to the bottle first, then added the OPP tape. 3) Cut an opening big enough for the balls to go in. 4) Cover the edges with vinyl tape so it’s safe. 5) Cut the laundry net. 6) Put double-sided tape around the bottom edge of the bottle and attach the laundry net. 7) Seal over step 6 with vinyl tape, and you’re done! Putting the balls in is fun, and opening the zipper to let them out is fun too—endless excitement! It was truly an “Infinite Ball Toss.” The zipper pull was small and hard to grip, so I tied on a string to make it easier to pull. Please try it! ⚠️ Play safety tips If you hang it with a string, make sure an adult watches so nothing gets caught on the string. Put it away out of reach after playtime. Be careful to prevent accidental ingestion! Thank you for viewing! This account shares home play ideas for 1-year-olds from a nursery-teacher mom. I hope this helps when you’re wondering, “What should we play today?” during your time at home.#AtHomePlay Simple Play Parenting Struggling with parenting 1 year old #1-year-old play #BoyMom Anpanman #AnpanmanToys Anpanman snacks 100-yen shop toy #HandmadeToys #DaisoPurchases #Seria purchases
Anpanman Taisō (Sore Ike! Anpanman Ending Theme) – Suzuko Nakanishi

Here’s an easy-to-clean Anpanman “infinite ball toss” activity.

Prepare a plastic bottle, scissors, a large laundry net, and an Anpanman illustration, then make it as follows.

Cut off the bottom third of the plastic bottle with scissors.

Make a hole on the surface of the bottle large enough for a ball to go through, and reinforce the cut edges with tape.

Attach the laundry net, and it’s done.

If you set a time limit and try it at a sports day, it might really excite younger classes.

It’s also fun to switch out the face design.

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mayumi

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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!

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mayumi

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Checckori Tamaire (Checckori Ball Toss)

@omiyamichinoko
Checckori Tamaire (Checckori Ball Toss)Ball Toss Checcori #Checcoli Tamaire Sports Day Nursery teacher / Childcare worker #Nursery school Nursery 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!

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mayumi

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Easy with a milk carton! Tanuki ball toss

@hoiku.labo
[Daycare Game Corner♪] Easy with milk cartons! Tanuki Ball Toss 🍂Childcare Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Kindergarten Teacher Childcare job openings Childcare Column #NurseryTeacherThings #IWantToConnectWithChildcareWorkers #Nursery School Craft #DaycarePreparation Nursery School Practicum Childcare student Aspiring childcare worker Childcare Job Lab Nursery teacher skills Job change activities #JobChange #nursery_teacher_job_change Nursery teacher employment Production #Craft #Milk Carton Crafts
♪ Odoru Pompokolin (Chibi Maruko-chan) – soyoco.nico.moco

We’ll introduce a tanuki-themed ball toss game made using milk cartons, featuring an adorable tanuki as the highlight.

Prepare milk cartons, scissors, plastic bags, and tape to get started.

Cut the milk carton into four equal parts, then layer and tape them together to form a circle.

Attach a plastic bag cut in half to the circular milk carton to create a basket shape.

Finally, stick the milk-carton basket onto a tanuki illustration, and your ball toss game is complete.

You could also switch to other animals like rabbits or bears to make it even more fun!

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mayumi

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Tamaire with moving targets

Here’s a fun beanbag toss with a moving target that goes up and down.

Gather a trash bag, a hula hoop, and vinyl tape to make it.

Tape the trash bag onto the hula hoop.

Then attach vinyl tape to the hula hoop and hang it from a curtain rail.

After that, toss balls so they go through the hula hoop.

If an adult pulls on the vinyl tape to change the height or move it during play, it will get even more exciting! If you prepare several targets and use a large hall, many people can enjoy it together.

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mayumi

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Balloon Tunnel Ball Toss

@nana_asobi
[Viral Play😆💓] Balloon Ball Toss 🎈 Pre-orders now open for the at-home play book 📚 “At-Home Play from Age 3”#StayHomeTime #AtHomePlay #AtHomePlay Handmade 　Balloon
♬ Trending upbeat corporate sound ♪ – 3KTrack

Let me introduce a colorful, spinning Balloon Tunnel Ball Toss.

Inflate the balloons and stick them together with double-sided tape to form a ring.

If you blow a hair dryer from below, the balloons will float in the air and spin around.

Try tossing balls through the gaps between the balloons and have fun! This might be perfect for small sports festivals or events held in limited spaces.

Since a hair dryer is used, please operate it under adult supervision and take care to prevent any risk of burns for children.

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mayumi

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