Fun Setsubun Activities for Childcare: A Collection of Exciting Games and Craft Ideas

Demon-slaying pretend play

Ogre-Tag Play: 3 Setsubun Games Kids Can Play at Nursery School or at Home

Wouldn’t it be great to enjoy a demon-slaying pretend play using familiar scrap materials? This time, let’s play with toilet paper rolls.

Make balls by crumpling newspaper.

Secure any parts that stick out with tape.

Cover the toilet paper rolls with construction paper to resemble oni (demons).

Use any color you like for the face, and of course make the pants yellow! Attach hair and horns, then draw patterns on the face and pants to finish.

Enjoy “Oni Bowling” by throwing the newspaper balls to knock them down.

Making lots of oni and stacking them up is fun too.

There are also ideas using cardboard and balloon-based demon-slaying games, so be sure to check those out for inspiration.

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moko

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Production that can also create a demon-slaying game

[Setsubun Craft] A childcare worker explains bean-throwing play for driving out demons!

Here’s a two-in-one idea that’s fun for both crafting and play: an oni (ogre) bean-throwing game for Setsubun.

Cut solid-color or patterned origami paper and glue it onto a paper tube.

Using various patterns and colors will make it bright and cute.

Make horns with gold origami, and crumple tissue paper to create hair and attach it.

Draw the face with colored pens, and make “beans” from tissue paper to finish.

Both the crafting process and playing with your own creation will make wonderful memories.

It’s also great that you can make it with items from a 100-yen shop or with recycled materials—give it a try!

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moko

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Let’s enjoy the bean-throwing game!

@mammybear_

Last week during Setsubun bean-throwing, the children at each class enjoyed various games.#Nursery schoolBean-throwing (Setsubun)Demons out, fortune in.Recommended

♬ Red Ogre and Blue Ogre Tango (Kids Song Cover) [from “NHK Educational TV E Tele - Okaasan to Issho”] – UtaSTAR

A heart-pounding event in February! How about trying some games perfect for Setsubun? You can pull a ring filled with beans to carry them, or throw beans at an oni target to defeat the ogre—plenty of Setsubun atmosphere to enjoy.

Let the children also have fun making masks and beans, and use the games to help them learn about the Setsubun tradition.

Feel free to adapt the rules to suit different ages! When older preschoolers carry the beans, turning it into a team competition will likely get everyone excited.

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sasashina

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gymnastics

[A New Standard Exercise for Setsubun Season] Oni Ranger / Mitsuru & Ryota

We also recommend doing exercises with oni-inspired choreography to get everyone in the Setsubun spirit! The music can be anything that gets the kids excited—songs you usually use for exercise or dance, or popular anime tunes.

While doing big, full-body movements, try adding poses like an oni with horns or a scary, threatening stance.

If you say, “We only do this during Setsubun, so let’s try hard to remember it!” the children will likely stay focused on the exercises.

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yuri

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Oni Mobile

Let’s make a perfect Setsubun-themed mobile using motifs like ogres (oni), Setsubun beans, and holly-and-sardine (hiiragi iwashi) charms! The hanging oni parts can be folded from origami or cut out of construction paper—either is fine.

Have the kids make lots of them and stick the uniquely expressive oni onto strings.

Setsubun lasts only one day, but by enjoying the crafts, you can have fun in the days leading up to bean-throwing day, too.

If you attach strings to a holly-and-sardine piece made from origami or straws for the top bar, it will look even more like a Setsubun wall decoration!

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yuri

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[Paper Cup] Oni Bean Holder

[Setsubun Craft] Make it with a paper cup! How to make an oni (demon) bean holder [Ashitaba Channel]

Here’s an idea for making an ogre-themed bean cup using a paper cup.

Use crumpled tissue paper to create the ogre’s hair and glue it around the rim of the cup.

Then attach horns made by twisting pipe cleaners, and draw the ogre’s pants pattern on the lower part of the cup and the ogre’s face in the middle.

You can also make the facial features from construction paper and glue them on.

Finally, punch two holes at the top of the cup, thread a pipe cleaner through to make a handle, and it’s done! It looks cute as a decoration, too, so it’s a great craft to make before Setsubun and enjoy as decor for a while.

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sasashina

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hand play song

[Fingerplay] 3 Recommended Oni and Bean-Throwing Fingerplays [Daycare/Kindergarten]

Many hand-play songs during the Setsubun season can be enjoyed together by a wide range of ages, from grandparents to children.

The most famous is “Oni no Pantsu” (The Ogre’s Underpants), and many people likely grew up listening to it.

It has a somewhat humorous feel to it.

Other hand-play songs for this season include “Mame-maki” (Bean-Throwing) and “Oni no Oyako” (Ogre Parent and Child).

By learning various hand-play songs, young children can also understand the meanings and origins of the festivities, making it more fun for them.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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