Recommended outdoor recreation for junior high school students: A roundup of fun outdoor activities
Even in junior high, it’s fun to play in the schoolyard during breaks and get active outside after school or on days off, isn’t it?
There are also plenty of times when everyone needs a bit of recreation, like during homeroom or for outdoor activities as part of class.
So in this article, we’ll introduce a bunch of outdoor games that junior high students can enjoy!
We’ve included not only classic games you’ve been familiar with since elementary school, but also some that are a bit unusual.
Learn the rules and have fun playing together!
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Recommended outdoor recreation for middle schoolers: A roundup of fun outdoor activities (1–10)
kotoro-kotoro (onomatopoeic; a light rattling/rolling sound)
Despite its cute name, “Kotorokotoro” is surprisingly intense.
First, four people line up like a pretend train.
The tagger wins if they can touch the person at the end of the line.
Of course, the last person tries to get away, while the three in front move desperately to protect them.
If, while moving around, anyone in the line lets go of hands, they’re out—at that moment, the tagger wins.
If the tagger doesn’t touch the last person and the line doesn’t break within about 20 seconds, the team in the line wins.
It’s tougher than you’d think, but if you’re a physically strong middle schooler, try extending the time limit or adding a few more people to the line!
human disentanglement puzzle
How about playing a human “wisdom ring” that uses both your head and your body? Everyone forms a circle.
First, take your right hand and hold someone else’s hand who is not directly to your right, then do the same with your left hand, avoiding the person directly to your left.
From there, without letting go of hands, untangle yourselves like solving a puzzle—ducking under arms or stepping over as needed—until you’ve unraveled the tangle and re-formed a hand-holding circle.
It’s great because you don’t need any equipment and the number of participants doesn’t matter much.
You can even make it a team competition to see which group can solve it the fastest.
Ring B Speed Competition
Have you heard of Ringbee? It’s a slightly unusual, ring-shaped Frisbee.
Using it to race with your teammates is called “Ringbee Speed Competition.” The key is to pass smoothly while running, like in a relay.
It’s all about teamwork and leg speed! You might get pretty winded, though.
But it’s so satisfying to really move your body and feel everyone improving together.
It’s perfect not only for PE class but also for recess.
It’s an outdoor game where you can call out to each other and have a blast.
It’ll probably strengthen your bonds with friends, too!
Outdoor recreation recommended for junior high school students: A roundup of fun outdoor activities (11–20)
long rope jumping
A great game for strengthening bonds among classmates and friends is group jump rope with a long rope! Unlike solo jump rope, everyone has to synchronize their timing, so it’s a bit more challenging.
The key to jumping for a long time is not lifting your feet too high.
Also, the people turning the rope should lower their hips and hold a steady stance.
It’s also fun to have people enter the turning rope one by one, or to play while singing classic jump-rope songs from childhood, like “The Postman.”
Dodgebee
A classic recreational activity: dodgeball.
Many people must have played it all the time in elementary school.
Now there’s an evolved version of dodgeball? It’s called “Dodgebee,” played not with a ball but with a soft flying disc.
Regular dodgeballs can come in fast, and getting hit by a hard-thrown ball hurts.
But with Dodgebee, it doesn’t hurt much when you’re hit, you won’t jam your fingers on a ball, and the risk of injury is lower—big pluses.
The rules are the same as dodgeball, so it’s easy to understand and a sport everyone can enjoy together.
Hula hoop relay
If you’ve got a big group and want to play a team game, try the Hula Hoop Pass! Line up in a row and hold hands.
At the start signal, the person at the front passes the hula hoop over their body and along the line until it reaches the last person.
You have to move your whole body to get the hoop through, but you must not use your hands or let go of the hands of the people next to you.
This game works well even with differences in body size and with mixed-gender groups.
Having people who’ve passed through the hoop call out cheers can boost team spirit, too.
You can also send the hoop back to the front once it reaches the last person.
Tail tag
This is a recreation game that can be played with a simple rule: everyone tucks a “tail” into the back of their pants and tries to grab each other’s tails.
While aiming for your opponent’s tail, you also have to protect your own, so you need to move while thinking carefully about when to attack.
You can start with a large group all at once, make it a team battle, try one-on-one, or—especially for younger children—have just one person like a teacher wear a tail and everyone else chase them.
The rules are easy to understand at a glance, yet the game has surprising depth.
It’s an outdoor activity we’d love middle schoolers to try.
