![[Entertainment/Performances] Ideas for Performances to Introduce at Kindergartens and Nursery Schools—Great for Children and Staff](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iBK_-h9I19A/sddefault.jpg)
[Entertainment/Performances] Ideas for Performances to Introduce at Kindergartens and Nursery Schools—Great for Children and Staff
At kindergartens and nursery schools, there are often opportunities to include entertainment and performances for fun.
Many teachers are probably wondering what kinds of activities they can plan for the children.
This time, we’ve gathered ideas that are perfect for such entertainment and performances.
From activities that children can take the lead in and enjoy themselves to ideas that teachers and parents can perform for the kids, we’re introducing a wide range.
If your ideas have become repetitive and you’re looking for something new…
Please use this as a reference.
[Entertainment/Performances] Ideas for performances you'd like to include at kindergartens and nursery schools! Activities for children and staff (1–10)
Newspaper Theater
How about trying a newspaper theater performance as entertainment? As long as you have newspapers, you can freely spin any kind of story, and the ways you fold and present the paper will keep sparking new ideas.
You can advance the story while folding the newspaper, so you can even create an original narrative.
Since newspapers are large, you can turn them into hats to wear or clothes to put on—there are so many ways to present them, which is a big plus.
Let’s use several sheets of newspaper and put on a grand production!
paper puppet theater
Paper-theater puppets (peep-sart) are a great activity to enjoy with children.
They’re easy to make—just draw illustrations and attach sticks.
Because you can add movement, they easily catch children’s attention.
How about a paper-theater themed around “Do-Re-Mi”? If you add illustrations like donuts for Do and lemons for Re to the notes from Do to Ti, you can enjoy them along with the lyrics.
Making them together with the children will make it an even more memorable activity.
It’s also wonderful to create larger ones for an event and practice together as a group.
True-or-False Quiz
If you’re looking for a quiz that kids of a wide range of ages can enjoy, true-or-false quizzes are a great choice.
Even when the question is a bit tricky, if it’s just true or false, even toddlers around two years old can answer, and it’s easy to judge the result.
For example, asking about animals, everyday words, or customs helps kids pick up manners and knowledge while quizzing—that’s a nice bonus.
Once everyone gets used to it, try raising the difficulty a little or arranging group competitions to make it even more fun!
Song & Dance “Paprika”
This song, Paprika, is performed by the five-member music unit Foorin made up of elementary and middle school students.
Produced by Kenshi Yonezu, it’s well-known and popular across a wide range of age groups, not just among children.
How about dancing to this song and putting on a dance performance? It’s cute and fun when kids dance, and it’s also a big hit with children when adults perform it—making it a real crowd-pleaser.
If the teachers dance joyfully, the kids will naturally pick it up too.
ensemble
Ensemble performances are a great way for children attending kindergarten or nursery school to bond and deliver a cohesive presentation.
Start with instruments like tambourines and castanets, and encourage them to try a variety of instruments.
You can use children’s songs as a theme, or incorporate popular anime songs and J-pop hits.
For more challenging parts like piano or drums, staff members can handle the performance.
It’s a perfect act to enliven any event—recitals, birthday parties, or farewell gatherings.
Encourage the children to take on musical performances that will become treasured memories.
Atarimae Taiso
Once you hear it, you can’t get it out of your head—COWCOW’s comedy routine “Atarimae Taisō” (The Obvious Exercise).
As the title suggests, it’s a choreographed exercise where they say obvious things while moving, and although it started as a comedy bit, it’s now become a staple for party entertainment and performances.
Because the premise is simply to state obvious things, it’s easy to adapt to different situations, which makes it simple to incorporate into a program.
To get everyone—from kids to adults—excited and engaged, the person demonstrating should really let loose and have fun.
PythagoraSwitch ‘Algorithm March & Exercise’
The “Algorithm March & Exercise,” popular on NHK’s children’s program PythagoraSwitch.
A march where the same movements are layered in a round, and a rhythmic exercise routine—both are guaranteed hits with kids! They’re fun for adults to watch, too.
Teachers can lead it, or have parents join in—there are lots of ways to enjoy this performance.
Children will burst out laughing when they see their moms, dads, and teachers—people they’re used to—doing such delightfully surreal moves.