[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 (21–30)
Make and play! Setsubun crafts
After you make it, you can enjoy bean-throwing too! Here are some oni craft ideas.
First, prepare an envelope in your preferred size and cut it in half.
Please use a gusseted envelope.
Attach small pieces of cut paper along the cut edge to represent the oni’s hair, then stick on the horns and face parts made from construction paper.
Finally, draw the eyebrows and mouth with a pen to complete the oni! Mount the oni on the wall and throw “beans” made by crumpling paper at it.
After the bean-throwing is over, try a challenge to see how many beans you can put into the envelope!
Perfect for Setsubun! Oni-themed fingerplay
We’d like to introduce a fun Oni hand game, “I’m an Oni!”—perfect for Setsubun events and performances.
In this game, children pretend to be an oni, using their hands to show its strength and distinctive features like horns and shaggy hair.
At the end, they make a face showing they’re startled by the bean-throwing, shouting “Eek!” Encourage kids to pull down the corners of their eyes to look pitiful, or to squish their cheeks with both hands—let them express themselves freely.
It’s sure to be a lovely time as the children laugh at each other’s faces.
Even kids who find oni scary might enjoy Setsubun with this hand game.
Setsubun Eurhythmics
Eurhythmics that nurture children’s expressiveness and concentration.
We move our bodies and play to the music.
We’re introducing two songs perfect for Setsubun: “Sotto ne” (“Quietly”) and “Mame-maki Pon-pon.” In “Sotto ne,” walk slowly so you don’t wake the ogre, and in “Mame-maki Pon-pon,” throw beans at the ogre.
When the music stops, freeze, and next, follow the teacher’s color cues to throw beans at the red ogre and the blue ogre.
While enjoying eurhythmics, you can even drive away scary ogres!
Demon-slaying with paper cups!
Let’s try making a jumping ogre craft that springs into the air! You’ll need two paper cups, two rubber bands, and construction paper to draw the ogre’s face.
First, make four slits on the rim of one paper cup—top, bottom, left, and right.
About 1 cm deep is fine.
Hook two rubber bands into the slits so they form a cross.
Secure the bands with tape so they don’t come off.
Next, draw your favorite ogre face on the construction paper, cut it out with scissors, and attach it to the paper cup with the rubber bands.
Finally, draw the ogre’s body on the second paper cup.
Place the body cup upside down with the bottom facing up, then fit the rubber-band cup over it from above and press down firmly.
When you release, the ogre’s head will spring—boing!—into the air.
A demon target-shooting game where the artwork changes!
Here’s how to make a target that changes from a strong ogre to a crying one.
First, tape a piece of cardboard to the top half of an empty box that will serve as the base.
In this state, draw a picture of a strong ogre.
Think of drawing the body on the lower box and the face on the upper cardboard.
Then flip up the cardboard, and this time draw the body on the lower cardboard and the crying ogre’s face on the upper box.
Once you’re done drawing, put the cardboard back up and secure it with a stopper.
By swapping the positions of the cardboard, the ogre illustration changes.
How to make a bean-throwing target
Bean-throwing games are a staple of Setsubun events! How about making a handmade ogre target? Cut a milk carton 10 cm up from the bottom.
Make three of these, connect them side by side, and glue them together.
Then, attach a sheet of construction paper to the back and draw an ogre illustration on it.
Finally, paste washi paper with tie-dyed patterns (for the ogre’s pants) onto the front of the milk cartons to finish.
When playing, stand the target against a wall and use balls made by crumpling newspaper, pretending they are beans.
Make different versions like a red ogre and a blue ogre, and do your best to defeat the ogres!
ogre mask
Here’s a craft idea for making an oni using paper plates and yarn.
If adults prepare the face and horn parts in advance, even small children can enjoy it.
First, paint the paper plate with your favorite paints.
Since it will be the oni’s face, red or blue are classics.
Once the paint dries, glue horns and yarn at the top to represent the hair.
Finally, attach the face parts and it’s done! It’s also fun to create the face with crayon resist art.
Let the children freely place each part on purpose, so they can fully express their individuality.