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[Nursery Schools & Kindergartens] Liven Up Setsubun! Entertainment Ideas
As Setsubun approaches, it’s the time when nursery schools and kindergartens start thinking about what performances to put on.
There are many ideas to liven up a Setsubun assembly, such as plays, dances, and finger plays that children can get absorbed in.
It’s also fun in ways unique to this season—cheers erupt when the ogres appear, and everyone moves their bodies to the bean-throwing song.
Here, we’ve gathered ideas for performances perfect for Setsubun events at nursery schools.
Please use them as a reference to make your Setsubun assembly full of children’s smiles!
[Nursery & Kindergarten] Setsubun Gets Exciting! Performance Ideas (1–10)
Panel Theater: “Let’s Defeat the Oni in Our Hearts”
This is a panel theater that also explains the origins of Setsubun! Why do we throw beans? What is “holly and sardines” for? It thoroughly answers those pure questions children have.
As the story unfolds, characters like the “Lazy Ogre,” “Grumpy Ogre,” and “Crybaby Ogre,” who live in the characters’ hearts, appear.
Let’s drive these ogres away one by one by throwing beans.
And after driving out the ogres, we invite in good fortune! You could also have the children think about what kind of ogres might live inside themselves.
Sketchbook Theater: “Let’s Do Bean-Throwing!”
I want to briefly explain what Setsubun is! This sketchbook theater is perfect for that.
Setsubun is performed with wishes for everyone’s health.
We drive away oni—symbols of evil spirits—by throwing roasted soybeans, and we eat our age plus one bean.
This sketchbook theater conveys these important Setsubun customs with gentle illustrations and a simple story.
In the bean-throwing scene, flipping the paper shows the beans moving.
Setsubun Magic
When you pull the card, the picture changes! It’s a Setsubun magic trick that uses a special mechanism.
Make red, blue, green, and yellow ogres in various colors so kids can enjoy all kinds of ogre expressions.
This card has a piece of white paper inside the frame that acts as a divider; when you pull out the card, the color illustration behind the divider becomes visible, and the picture changes.
If you don’t know the trick, it feels just like watching magic, doesn’t it? The kids are sure to love it!
Three perfect games for Setsubun
We’d like to introduce “Bean Hunt Game,” “Setsubun Fruit Basket,” and “Words That Start with ‘Oni.’ In the Bean Hunt Game, the premise is that the important beans have gone missing on Setsubun day! Children search for beans made out of newspaper.
Setsubun Fruit Basket follows the same rules as the basic Fruit Basket game, but when someone calls out “Oni wa soto!” everyone changes seats.
In the Words That Start with ‘Oni’ game, pairs play using three words: “oni” (ogre), “onigiri” (rice ball), and “oniku” (meat).
First, one person says the three words while striking poses, and the other person imitates them.
If the words and poses don’t match, it’s a fail—so copy them perfectly!
Theater “Bikkuri Mamemaki”
This is “Surprise Bean-Throwing,” performed with paper cups decorated with illustrations.
The characters are Kitty-chan and Doggy-kun.
They were smiling happily, but a Crybaby Ogre and an Angry Ogre slipped inside their bodies! Kitty-chan starts to cry, and Doggy-kun gets angry—it’s a big problem.
Let’s scatter beans to drive out the ogres inside them! On each paper cup, attach two illustrations on the sides: one with a smiling face and one with the transformed face.
When you want to switch the expression, simply rotate the paper cup.
A gentle Setsubun for infants
This is a sketchbook theater featuring Usako-chan the crybaby and Miketa-kun the hothead.
If you look closely at the two of them, you’ll notice ogres hiding there.
Usako-chan has a Crybaby Ogre, and Miketa-kun has a Hothead Ogre hiding inside.
Now, let’s all throw beans together and drive the ogres away! Once the ogres are gone, both of them are smiling, aren’t they? When you realize there are ogres, try asking the children once, “What do you think we should do?” I’m sure you’ll hear all sorts of interesting solutions.
How do we convey Setsubun?
Many of you may be wondering how best to explain Setsubun to children.
If that’s the case, please use this story as a reference.
Why is Setsubun in February? Why do we hang hiragi-iwashi (holly and sardines) on the front door? What kind of beans are used to drive away ogres? This content provides clear answers to those questions.
It’s explained while showing illustrations in a sketchbook, so it should be easy for children to understand.