Traditional Games: Fun Old-Time Play. Popular Activities Useful in Childcare
Traditional folk games that have long been loved in Japan are packed with timeless charms that captivate children across generations.
Because folk games let us experience old cultures and local traditions, we want to pass many of these games from adults down to children.
In this feature, we’ll introduce a wide variety of such time-honored folk games.
We’ve gathered many activities kids can truly get absorbed in—everything from physical games, to ones using traditional toys like ohajiki (small playing pieces) and stilts, to word- and song-based games like karuta and chachatsubo.
We hope you’ll incorporate them in nursery schools and kindergartens and enjoy them together with the children.
- Nostalgic games that were popular when we were kids
- Let's play with a big group! A collection of fun children's recreational activities
- Games using beanbags (otedama)
- [January Childcare] Traditional New Year’s Games! A Collection of Ideas to Enjoy with Children
- [Children’s Club] Easy and fun indoor games. Exciting party games
- [For Preschoolers & Kids] Game, Play, and Craft Ideas to Enjoy on Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day)
- Recommended for upper elementary grades! Exciting indoor recreation and games
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
- [Hand Play] Popular with kids! A collection of trendy hand-play songs and nostalgic traditional children’s songs
- [Elementary School] Quick and Easy! Indoor Recreational Activities Perfect for Lower Grades
- A collection of ideas for infant/toddler play, recreation, and games
- [Parenting] Parent-child bonding! Hand-play songs and traditional nursery rhymes collection
- Handkerchief and Towel Play! A Collection of Fun Play Ideas
[Traditional Games] Fun Old-Time Play. Popular Activities for Childcare (21–30)
A picture-matching card game playable from age 3
https://www.tiktok.com/@hoiku.labo/video/7182103671222652162This is a “picture matching card” game that even small children can enjoy.
Beforehand, prepare several pairs of cards by drawing the same picture on two sheets of paper and mounting them onto colored cardstock.
It’s nice to use New Year’s motifs for the designs—for example, kadomatsu, spinning tops, lion dance, Mt.
Fuji, osechi cuisine, and mochi.
Place all the cards face down and turn one card face up.
Players take turns choosing one card to flip over; if it matches the revealed picture, they win that round; if not, it’s the next player’s turn.
It’s a fun way to build observation skills, memory, and communication!
Fun for New Year’s! Spinning Top Play
https://www.tiktok.com/@heknsb2/video/7455657628275035400Let’s make original spinning tops and have a contest to see whose spins the longest.
Prepare paper plates, plastic bottle caps, colored pens, and glue.
Draw illustrations on the paper plate using colored pens or crayons.
If you use a variety of colors and draw pictures or patterns, you’ll enjoy how the colors and designs change when the top spins.
Glue two plastic bottle caps together, one on top of the other, and it’s done.
Hold the cap part with your fingers, give it a strong twist, and it will spin very well.
Perfect for New Year’s events! Mochitsuki (rice cake pounding) fun for parents and children
Speaking of New Year’s, it’s all about mochi, isn’t it? Freshly pounded mochi is something every child should experience at least once.
Traditional mochi pounding with a mallet and mortar takes strength, so it’s mainly a job for adults, but if possible, let the kids have a few turns—thump, thump—and give it a try.
Flipping the mochi quickly as the helper, tearing the soft, steaming mochi into pieces, and preparing the soy sauce, kinako, or walnut sauce will all feel novel to children and become precious memories.
How to make a flapping toy
@taniguchi_s_y_d Japanese traditional toy #diycrafts#tutorial#NewYearGamesTradition
Original Music – Taniguchi Shoyudo Co., Ltd. (Taniguchi Matsuosho-do)
The flip-flop toy, where connected boards topple over in a chain with a flapping motion, is fun to watch and makes satisfying sounds as it falls.
Let’s get glue, scissors, mat board, and origami paper ready and make one.
After preparing several pieces of mat board cut into rectangles, connect them with paper strips.
The key when connecting them is to attach the strips straight.
Be careful not to stick the strips in the wrong positions when linking the boards.
It’s also recommended to draw faces on the boards so their expressions change as they flip back and forth.
Have fun with a hula hoop! Karuta game
Karuta isn’t just fun—it also helps kids learn the names of things and letters, and it builds concentration, listening skills, and reflexes.
Plus, playing with friends offers chances to teach one another, cooperate, and develop communication skills.
There are many kinds of karuta, from sets with cute illustrations to ones with quirky themes, so choosing a set can be fun too.
It could also be great to make your own karuta using pictures you draw yourselves!