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[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)

Stop Tamaire

A game of tamaire with elements of “Daruma-san ga koronda,” where you may only throw balls while the BGM is playing.

The basic rules are the same as regular tamaire, but you must not throw when the BGM is not playing, and any balls that land in the basket during those times are invalid.

Because the BGM stops randomly and abruptly, players may get carried away and forget the rule, or get too distracted by the music—struggling to play as intended can be part of the fun.

It’s an arrangement that tests concentration and attention, perfect when you’re bored of standard tamaire.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Substitution Ball Toss

Video 1: For lower grades — team event — relay tamaire (beanbag toss) ①②

Substitution Ball Toss

An adapted version of the ball-toss game where people are divided into teams and take turns.

Unlike the usual version, where everyone throws as many balls as they can all at once, this one repeats a rule where each team throws two balls and then switches to the next team.

Within the time limit, teams can throw as many times as their turn comes around, but since there’s a cap of two balls per turn, each throw becomes more important.

Additionally, because of the nature of the game, it’s less likely to create crowds, so you could call it a modern take on the traditional ball toss.

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Hoshino Takashi

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[Nursery/Kindergarten] Make Your Sports Day a Hit! A Collection of Tamaiire (Ball-Toss) Variations and Ideas (31–40)

Furoshiki Ball Toss

Unlike the typical tamaire game where a large group starts all at once, this version is played in pairs and split into first and second halves.

In the first half, one teammate spreads out a furoshiki (cloth) while the other throws balls into it.

In the second half, you toss the balls collected in the furoshiki into a basket, as in a regular tamaire, and compete on the number scored.

Since how many balls you can collect in the first half also matters, you get the fun of experiencing two different styles of tamaire at once.

Plus, because the roles are divided, people of different ages can enjoy playing together—making it a versatile, adapted game for many situations.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Colorful ball toss

The ball-toss game with the Bunny Class (1-year-olds) is so much fun! As we keep playing it over and over, everyone’s laughter gets louder.

Colorful ball toss

A ball-toss game using colorful balls that boosts kids’ excitement.

Typically, ball-toss games use single-color balls for each team, like red team and white team, but using color balls gets younger children fully engaged in picking them up.

You can also add rules—such as putting balls into baskets that match their colors—to make it fun for older kids as well.

Visually bright and lively, this arranged version of the ball-toss game is a great recommendation for a wide range of ages.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Touch Ball Toss

A unique twist on the beanbag toss where you must touch a designated person before throwing.

Normally, you would start by tossing beanbags into the basket right away, but in this variation you have to run to someone positioned at a distance—like a teacher—touch them, run back, and only then are you allowed to throw.

This adds a demand for speed and stamina.

Also, you can only make one throw per touch, so unless you aim carefully at the basket, your count won’t go up much.

It’s a competition anyone can participate in with full effort—perfect to bring back when the standard beanbag toss starts to feel too easy.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Basketball ball-toss game

A 2-year-old taking on basketball #Shorts

Basketball ball-toss game

Speaking of sports days, tamaire (ball toss) is a classic, right? It’s one of those long-loved events that anyone can enjoy, regardless of age.

This time, let’s adapt it by imagining it as the Olympic sport of basketball! For two-year-olds, a real basketball hoop or a tall ball-toss basket is probably out of reach.

That’s where parents come in! Try lifting your child up to the hoop for a shot, or letting them shoot while riding on your shoulders—it sounds like great fun! Of course, adjusting the goal height to suit the children will really boost the excitement, so feel free to customize it to match your class’s theme colors.

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Costume ball toss

Halloween party at the daycare

Costume ball toss

As the name suggests, this is a beanbag-toss game where participants wear costumes of their choice.

The rules are the same as a standard beanbag toss, but seeing colorful children playing in costume has a different kind of cuteness than the usual gym uniforms at a typical sports day.

It’s visually festive, but because outfits need to be prepared beforehand, the cooperation of teachers and parents is necessary.

If the sports day is held in the fall, it’s close to Halloween, so this is a fun, customizable beanbag toss that works for both events.

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Hoshino Takashi

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