Lovely childcare

Outdoor games for large groups. Fun, exciting games for kids.

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

Here are some outdoor play ideas for large groups that are sure to bring out kids’ smiles!

There are many games where children work together with friends to achieve a goal, so try adapting them based on age.

With games that include a bit of competition, kids can have fun while moving their bodies—and boost their athletic skills, too!

By enjoying activities together, they also learn the joy of cooperation and develop leadership.

Outdoor play is full of new discoveries and adventures.

Get moving, stay active, and make wonderful memories!

We also recommend using these ideas as a base to come up with your own original games.

Outdoor games for large groups: Kids’ crowd-pleasers (51–60)

Storm Storm Big Storm Game

[Indoor Play] Even MatsuJun was shocked?! Indoor play!!

Storm Storm Big Storm Game

Let’s play using our heads and bodies! Here’s an idea for the Big Storm Game.

Depending on the age group, it’s helpful to prepare visual aids like sample diagrams or origami markers.

Assign one child as the squirrel and two children as the trees.

At the teacher’s cue, “A wolf is coming!” the squirrel moves to a different tree.

At the cue, “A lumberjack is coming!” the trees move to a different squirrel.

At the cue, “A big storm is coming!” everyone moves and pairs up with different friends.

To start, try playing while using the sample diagram or markers as guides!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Rice Field Tag Game

[Deluxe Double Feature] Game Play 🌟

Rice Field Tag Game

Tanbo-oni is a tag game where you draw a large “rice field” character (a grid like the kanji 田) on the ground with thick lines and play tag inside it.

It’s best suited for children aged 4 and up so they can understand and enjoy the rules.

If you play indoors, using vinyl tape works well.

The rules: run across the four square spaces formed by the 田 grid to escape from the tagger, and you’re out if you get tagged.

The tagger can only move along the lines.

Stretching your arms to catch others and running around to escape helps develop balance, quickness, and overall motor skills—making it a fun game!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

In conclusion

The real charm of playing outdoors is being able to share the fun of moving your body together with friends.

The games we introduced this time are all especially exciting because they’re played with a large group, not alone.

On sunny days, have a blast in open spaces or parks, and on rainy days make use of spacious indoor areas to bring out those energetic smiles from the kids.