Lovely childcare

[Nursery/Kindergarten] Make Your Sports Day a Hit! A Collection of Fun Beanbag Toss Variations

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.

Tamaire (ball toss) is a classic sports day event enjoyed at daycare centers and kindergartens.

By adding a few twists, you can spark new discoveries and excitement.

Here, we’ll introduce a variety of fun variations that will bring smiles to children’s faces, such as a partnered ball toss using a furoshiki cloth and a music-based ball toss that incorporates background music.

These events highlight teamwork and creativity, making sports day even more enjoyable! All of the activities can be adapted to suit your class’s atmosphere, so feel free to use these ideas as a reference and tailor them to your needs.

[Nursery/Kindergarten] Make Your Sports Day a Hit! A Collection of Beanbag Toss Variations (21–30)

Ball relay and ball toss

An arranged version of tamaire (ball toss) that starts by bringing balls from other locations, instead of having them placed near the basket as usual.

Since the team must work together to carry all the balls from distant spots, teamwork is required even before the tossing begins.

Because both the speed of transporting the balls and the accuracy of tossing them into the basket determine the outcome, you could say it’s a more strategic variation.

It’s physically demanding, but it’s a sport that brings the team together and excites everyone, and it can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Perfect basket ball toss

A sport where a ball-toss game is played with your team’s basket placed close to the opponent’s.

In a typical ball-toss game, a circle or other boundary is drawn around a central basket, and players throw balls toward their own team’s basket within that area.

In this variation, however, play starts with the opposing baskets positioned near each other.

Normally, balls that miss the basket fall to the ground and can be picked up and thrown again, but here a missed throw might land in the opponent’s basket, costing you points if you throw recklessly.

It’s an adapted event that tests precise control to hit your intended basket and the composure to stay calm even after a mistake.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Feeding ball toss

Just hearing the title might make it hard to picture, but an especially good option for younger children is the “feeding ball toss.” You prepare cardboard boxes decorated with animals like bears or lions, cut out a hole for the mouth, and toss balls that represent food into it—the storytelling element is brilliant.

It’s exciting because it features animals kids love, and if the age group is older, you can make it more challenging by setting a throwing line.

It’s a cute-looking ball toss that gets both participants and spectators excited together.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Giant-Pants Ball Toss

Tomobe Kindergarten Sports Day Event Description No. 4: “Big Pants Ball Toss”

Giant-Pants Ball Toss

An arranged version of the classic sports day game combining the Giant Pants Race and ball toss.

Participants form pairs, and right after the start, the two of them put on a pair of giant pants placed between the start line and the basket.

Wearing the giant pants, they move closer to the basket and toss in the balls, then return to the start to tag the next pair.

This continues until everyone on the team has thrown.

It’s exciting when kids play together, of course, but it also works great as a parent–child event, testing teamwork and coordination.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Parent-child ball toss

Parent-child ball toss (Sports Day 4/6)

Parent-child ball toss

Parent-child tamaire (ball-toss) is a classic event often used for joint parent-child competitions.

As the title suggests, seeing parents and children cooperate to toss balls into the basket has a different kind of charm from kids-only events, and having adults participate adds an exciting, high-energy element.

Setting up two basket heights—one for adults and one for children—and establishing rules that let moms and dads really get into it will make the event even more lively.

Of course, it’s not limited to parent-child teams; it can also be run with children of different ages, making it a highly adaptable activity with many variations.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Relay Ball Toss

An adapted event that links the relay—always the star of sports days—with the classic ball-toss game (tamaire).

First, each team’s relay representative runs the race, and teams begin the ball toss in the order they finish.

Even if you finish first in the relay, you can’t win if you struggle with the ball toss, so it’s a competition where you can’t let your guard down until the very end.

It’s also recommended because it showcases team strength—not just individual skill—as teams can assign roles to those who are good at running and those who excel at throwing.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Staggered ball toss (game)

A ball-toss game with added strategy by using baskets at different heights and assigning different point values to each.

For example, set rules like 1 point for low baskets and 10 points for high baskets, so it’s not just about throwing balls into baskets—you can also enjoy strategic play, including dramatic comebacks.

You can win by quantity, aiming to land many balls in the lower baskets, or, if you’re confident in your throwing, go for higher baskets to rack up big points.

It’s a competition that lets each team’s style shine.

If possible, setting more granular point values for the baskets makes it even more fun—an arrangement that expands the enjoyment and possibilities of the classic ball-toss game.

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Hoshino Takashi

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