[January Childcare] Traditional New Year’s Games! A Collection of Ideas to Enjoy with Children
Are you wondering what kinds of activities to include in childcare in January? January is a perfect time for children to get familiar with Japanese culture through traditional games and seasonal recreation.
Here, we introduce New Year’s themed play ideas such as invisible-ink drawings (aburidashi), lion dance (shishimai), and shell matching (kai-awase).
Traditional games are full of elements that nurture children’s creativity and concentration.
They offer many ways to play—moving their bodies with friends, using their hands to make things, and more.
These ideas are also perfect for events in childcare settings, so please use them as a reference!
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Childcare in January: Traditional New Year’s Games! A Collection of Fun Ideas to Enjoy with Children (51–60)
menko (a traditional Japanese card-and-coin-flipping game)
As we welcome the New Year, how about introducing the traditional game of menko to children? This is a Japanese folk game played with printed, colorful cards.
Simple yet profound, it will be a fresh challenge for kids.
You can enjoy various play styles together, such as okoshi, where you flip a card by slamming another onto the ground, and tsumi, where you stack cards and knock them down.
Through these activities, children can experience New Year traditions while fostering communication and cooperation.
Menko also carries cultural value and is popular as a collectible.
Why not incorporate menko, a piece of traditional culture, into New Year activities at nurseries and kindergartens?
Dice game
When it comes to New Year’s, it’s all about dice games! Here’s a rock-paper-scissors-style dice game you can enjoy with kids.
Play in pairs.
Each player holds a die and says, “Dice rock-paper-scissors—shoot!” then rolls.
The simple version is that the higher number wins, but you can make your own rules to keep it fun.
For example, if you decide that the lower number wins, even small rolls can be exciting, so it’s fun whether you win or lose.
Highly recommended!
first calligraphy of the year
Enjoy the spirit of Wa (Japanese harmony) in January! Here’s an introduction to kakizome that you can enjoy with children.
If you have a calligraphy set, you can start right away, but if not, you can substitute with a brush, a container, and either liquid ink or even black paint.
Kakizome, writing characters or pictures at the beginning of the year, is said to carry the wish for improving one’s handwriting.
It’s also fun—and recommended—for kids to try writing the names of their favorite characters or animals.
Why not take this opportunity for adults to enjoy kakizome together with children?
Lion dance play
Fun to make with kids! Here’s a New Year’s craft featuring the shishimai (lion dance).
Although the shishimai can sometimes scare little children, it’s considered lucky—so why not try making one together by hand? Materials include newspaper, colored tape, colored plastic sheets, colored pens, colored construction paper, and cardboard for the lion’s face.
The most important thing is to enjoy creating with your children, so feel free to get creative with whatever you have at home.
It’s also great fun to have your child become the shishimai and celebrate the New Year, so we highly recommend it!
[January Childcare] Traditional New Year’s Games! A Collection of Ideas to Enjoy with Children (61–70)
Hyakunin Isshu
I’d love for you to play this with your kids over New Year! Let me introduce Hyakunin Isshu.
The rules are simple: one person reads the first half of a poem, and everyone else tries to grab the matching second half.
While the gameplay is simple, the depth is part of its appeal.
It’s also a great memory challenge—how quickly can you take the second half when the first half is read? There are apps that read the poems aloud, so it’s fun to listen, get into the reader’s rhythm, and memorize the Hyakunin Isshu.
Hanafuda
We’ll introduce simple Hanafuda rules for adults and kids who see it in games and wonder, “What is Hanafuda?” There are 48 cards in total.
Deal them into hands and to the table.
Play a card from your hand to the table; if there’s a card from the same month on the table, you capture it.
Next, draw one card from the deck and place it on the table.
If there’s no matching month, just leave it on the table.
Players take turns like this, and when someone forms a scoring combination with the cards they’ve captured, that round ends.
The points depend on the combination.
Decide the number of rounds in advance—the player with the higher total score at the end wins!
Shell matching
A perfect activity for January! Let me introduce “Kai-awase,” a craft that’s also fun to make with kids.
Kai-awase was a game played by nobles in the Heian period, similar to the modern card game Concentration (Memory).
You paint matching patterns on the insides of paired shells.
Turn them face down, mix them up, place one shell in the center, then arrange the remaining shells in a circle around it, and try to pick the one that matches the center shell.
Recommended shells include shijimi (corbicula), ark shells, clams, and abalone.
If you have leftover shells, remember this and give it a try!