[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!
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[Nursery & Kindergarten] Liven Up Setsubun! Performance Ideas (11–20)
Setsubun Dance “The Oni’s Underpants”
If you’re going to dance for Setsubun, how about “Oni no Pantsu”? It’s such a famous song that it’s the first one that comes to mind when you think of oni songs.
Oni are strong, and the underwear they wear is super tough too! They say it won’t rip even after ten years.
Let’s move our bodies to this unique and fun “Oni no Pantsu.” Just like in hand-play games, use clapping and the peace sign to represent the word “pantsu.” When expressing strength, make fists with both hands.
I think it would be lovely to dance dressed like an oni, too!
Quiz
How much do you know about Setsubun? You might be surprised by how much you don’t actually know.
A perfect way to learn is through a quiz about Setsubun.
You can find many quizzes online or in videos, and there are also books with relevant information, so look things up and turn the best facts into quiz questions.
As you create the quiz, your knowledge will steadily grow.
It might also be a good idea to divide the questions by difficulty—beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
comedy sketch
If you boldly adapt folktales that children know well or perform original comedy skits, the teachers’ passionate acting is sure to have everyone roaring with laughter! You could, for example, change Momotaro’s demon-slaying method to a Setsubun-style bean-throwing, or, by adding a touch of the upcoming Valentine’s Day, turn the millet dumplings into chocolates—once you get your imagination going, all sorts of ideas will come to mind.
Let’s bring exciting and funny stories to children who have grown tired of the same old book versions!
prank
How about pulling a prank on the kids playing at home by having the adults act as demons and come to attack them? If the adults disguise themselves as demons with masks and full-body suits, the kids won’t be able to tell who they are and will be really surprised.
It would be good to have a friendly adult, like their mother, help them out and tell them to throw beans.
To avoid causing any lasting trauma, it’s important to reveal the demons’ true identities at the end.
It’ll also be fun to record the video and watch it later.
kamishibai (paper theater)
For children, Setsubun may only bring to mind a vague image of ogres appearing or throwing beans.
How about a picture-story show that clearly explains the origins of Setsubun for those kids? It covers things like the meaning of scattering beans and what foods are good to eat on Setsubun, so after listening, they might become Setsubun experts.
It’s very important to learn about our own country’s culture, so this could be a good opportunity to do some research as well.
Demon Slayer
With the characters from the anime Demon Slayer in front of them, the kids’ excitement is through the roof! If the teachers show up to the bean-throwing event dressed as popular anime characters, everyone will eagerly take part.
However, trends among children change even faster than adults expect.
To avoid all your preparations ending up feeling outdated, it’s best to regularly research which anime and characters the kids are currently interested in.
[Nursery & Kindergarten] Liven Up Setsubun! Performance Ideas (21–30)
[Ages 2 and up] Bottle Tag (PET Bottle Oni)
![[Ages 2 and up] Bottle Tag (PET Bottle Oni)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DnJih49JrX0/sddefault.jpg)
How about enjoying a bowling game made from plastic bottles with an ogre (oni) motif? First, stuff red tissue paper into the plastic bottles.
Next, draw a tiger stripe pattern with a black pen on yellow origami paper, and wrap it around the bottle using double-sided tape.
Make horns from triangular origami, use round stickers for the eyes, black origami for the eyebrows, and red origami for the mouth to create the ogre’s face, attaching each piece with double-sided tape.
Finally, crumple newspaper into a ball and wrap it with yellow vinyl tape to make the bowling ball, and your bowling set is complete!
