Wall decoration ideas recommended for sports day at nursery schools and kindergartens

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.
9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

Children eagerly look forward to the once-a-year sports day at their nursery or kindergarten.

They can’t wait to show their cool, confident selves to their parents.

To help boost their excitement even more, here are some wall decoration ideas for sports day.

From decorations inspired by ball-toss games and tug-of-war to motifs like international flags and gold medals, there are plenty of ideas.

It’s also a great idea to make the decorations together with the children while imagining the big day.

Decorate the room beautifully to create a fun atmosphere that builds the children’s motivation and excitement!

Recommended Sports Day wall decoration ideas for daycare centers and kindergartens (21–30)

parachute ball

Parachute play that uses a colorful, oversized cloth to put on recreational activities—often called a “para-balloon”—may feel like a distant memory for adults, but it’s something almost everyone has tried at least once.

Many people probably remember how fun it was to go inside the parachute, too.

This para-balloon, which gave children so many joyful memories, is also great as a wall decoration.

Because it’s inherently colorful, it instantly brightens up a wall, and its simple structure makes it easy to craft by hand.

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Cheering with pom-poms

Even though it’s just kindergarten or daycare, a sports day is still a competition.

You want to create as festive an atmosphere as possible so not only the children but also the parents get excited, right? In times like these, we recommend wall decorations depicting people cheering with pom-poms.

Since it’s generally not feasible to form an actual cheer squad at a kindergarten or daycare, being able to create a cheering atmosphere with decorations like these is a great plus.

If you make several variations and produce them in quantity, the wall will instantly pop!

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championship trophy

Let’s make championship trophies to brighten up the sports day wall displays! While there’s a trend toward not deciding winners and losers at sports days, giving rewards like medals or trophies really boosts the excitement and makes it easier to capture the feel of the event.

Decide on the trophies’ colors—gold, silver—and their sizes, then start creating.

It’s also nice to add a ribbon draped around the trophy’s narrow neck.

If you’re placing children or animals in the display, decorating them holding a trophy in their hands would look adorable.

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Group gymnastics

Kumitaiso (group gymnastics) is as popular as tug-of-war at sports days.

While fewer kindergartens and nursery schools may be incorporating kumitaiso these days, it’s still a crowd favorite.

That said, when you try to turn it into a wall decoration, you might think it would be hard to create so many different characters.

Actually, it’s not that difficult.

Make four character templates—two boys and two girls—then copy or trace them to mass-produce.

Arrange those characters into a pyramid, and in no time you’ve got a kumitaiso wall display.

It looks festive yet doesn’t take much effort, so it’s a great option for anyone who wants to keep the workload down.

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Tug of war

One of the biggest highlight events of a sports day is tug-of-war.

It’s a competition where everyone can shine, and because it leaves such a strong impression, just seeing the silhouette of tug-of-war makes you feel like sports day season has arrived.

Tug-of-war also pairs exceptionally well with wall decorations.

The thing is, if you only use small decorations, wall displays require a lot of work and can be quite challenging.

A tug-of-war themed wall decoration alone can make the whole display look vibrant, and creating the tug-of-war pieces is very simple: if you make one character pulling for each gender, you can just copy and reproduce them to make the rest.

Despite requiring little effort, it really stands out, so it’s highly recommended.

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podium

The winners’ podium is a familiar sight in sports competitions.

Many children have seen it at events like the Olympics and been impressed by its presence, dreaming of standing on it someday.

Adults, too, can’t help but admire the podium.

If you incorporate one into your sports day wall decorations, it will instantly boost the sports day vibe of the display.

Try placing children or animals wearing medals around their necks on top of the podium.

Decorate with the image of a cheerful award ceremony that celebrates a triumphant finale!

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red-and-white cap

Red-and-white caps have always been a timeless symbol of sports and physical education.

Why not incorporate them as wall decorations for your sports day? Since people often create decorations featuring children enjoying the event, adding red-and-white caps to those designs could be a great touch.

Even if you don’t include people, items like relay batons and sports day flags, along with the caps, instantly convey “It’s sports day!” Not only children but also parents will likely recall memories and stories about those caps.

Sharing those nostalgic stories can be a lot of fun, too.

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