We’ve put together a collection of play items that kids will love!
We’ll introduce lots of toys and play gear that both boys and girls can enjoy, so use this guide to make trips to the park more fun, fill downtime on camping trips, or keep kids entertained indoors on bad-weather days.
In addition to gift-worthy items, there are plenty of affordable playthings that are easy to find at 100-yen shops and similar stores.
Even though they’re from 100-yen shops, the quality is surprisingly high, making them perfect when you want to try something a little new!
- Fun DIY Toy Ideas You Can Make with 100-Yen Store Materials
- Indoor activities that 2-year-olds can enjoy. Recommended at-home games that will keep them engaged.
- [Daycare/Preschool] Handmade toys that delight infants
- [Nursery/Kindergarten] Water play ideas that kids will love
- Play ideas kids can enjoy from 1st to 6th grade [indoors & outdoors]
- For 1-year-olds! Indoor play ideas that make rainy days fun
- [Elementary School] Quick and Easy! Indoor Recreational Activities Perfect for Lower Grades
- [Children’s Club] Easy and fun indoor games. Exciting party games
- [Elementary School Rec] Recommended Games and Performances for a Fun Party
- [Childcare] Recommended for toddlers! Toy ideas you can make and play with
- Get excited! A list of popular and fun hand games that captivate children
- Fun summer activities for kids: ideas you’ll want to try in childcare and at home
- [Childcare] Playing with scrap materials: Toys you can make from recycled items
Playthings Kids Love: Toys and Play Equipment Enjoyable from Toddler Age (1–10)
3D puzzle
In recent years, 3D puzzles have become popular not only with children but also with adults—have you tried them? Unlike flat jigsaw puzzles, 3D puzzles, as the name suggests, are assembled into three-dimensional objects.
You might think they’re a bit difficult for kids, but these days even 100-yen shops carry lots of puzzles—cars, airplanes, and more—that you can play with after you finish building them.
There’s a wide variety, like working vehicles, dinosaurs, animals, and fish, and 100-yen shops make it easy to get started.
Ice cream sand mold set
At the nearby park, the sandbox gets covered with a blue tarp at night.
This is to prevent cats from coming and using it as a litter box.
Still, some parents may worry that “no matter how much you try, park sandboxes aren’t exactly sanitary…” So why not make a private mini sandbox at home using “less-mess sand” sold at 100-yen shops? If you also pick up ice cream molds or cookie cutters, your child will feel like a pastry chef! Less-mess, easy-to-shape sand is also available at large toy stores.
This way, kids can enjoy it indoors even on rainy days.
I think children around age three and up will have fun with it!
soap bubble
Back in the Showa era, the standard way to make soap bubbles was to dissolve dish detergent in water and blow through a straw, but these days you can buy bubble solution at 100-yen shops.
They even have tools for making giant bubbles and items that let you create lots of bubbles at once.
Once kids are old enough not to accidentally inhale the solution, it’s an easy activity to enjoy.
If you want to make huge bubbles, try mixing glycerin and liquid laundry starch to create your own original bubble solution.
skateboard
Skateboarding became widely known thanks to the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, spreading from children to adults.
People who had previously only glanced at young skaters out of the corner of their eye may now recognize it as a sport.
More parents are also thinking, “I’d like my child to try it.” Even if they don’t pursue it seriously as a competitive sport, casually playing from early childhood seems likely to build core strength and develop explosive power.
Just be careful when playing on roads and similar areas.
soft gun
Nerf is popular among adults these days.
Simply put, Nerf refers to toy guns that shoot foam darts.
They’re sold in various styles like bazooka-type, machine-gun-type, and rifle-type.
And amazingly, you can even buy toys similar to Nerf at 100-yen shops! I think it’s fine to play with the 100-yen versions first and then buy a pricier one if you want to get more serious.
You could line up plastic bottles as targets, or arrange snacks and have everyone compete to win them—both sound fun.
Kids around kindergarten age and up might enjoy playing with them.
hula hoop
The hula hoop craze that swept the United States in 1958 made its way straight to Japan, sparking a major hula hoop fever here as well.
The price at the time was 270 yen each.
Some people overdid the hip-wiggling so much that they felt unwell, and there were even schools that banned hula hoops.
Of course, that’s an extreme case—there’s no problem at all if you just play with them normally.
Seniors, let’s reminisce about the old days and enjoy hula hooping together.
Kids pick things up quickly, so they’ll probably have them spinning in no time.
radio-controlled (RC) / remote-controlled
I think drones are the ultimate radio-controlled gadgets.
You see drone-shot videos and photos on TV every day—filming from high places or slipping into tight spaces.
A flying RC used to be a hobby only a select few enjoyed 50 years ago.
RC vehicles are loved by adults too, and big toy stores even have dedicated sections—the hobby seems incredibly deep.
You can find inexpensive ones for around 3,000 yen, so it feels easy to get into.
Renting out a gym and hosting an RC day with everyone could be a lot of fun!