New Year’s Games: Traditional Play and Fun Activities That Excite Everyone from Kids to Adults
New Year’s is a special time when family and relatives gather.
But are you wondering, “What should we all do together?” In this article, we’ll introduce plenty of ideas to liven up the New Year, from nostalgic traditional games to easy, DIY activities you can make and play with everyday materials.
There’s a wide variety—games everyone can enjoy across generations and active ones that use a large space! There are also many activities you can enjoy while spending time with grandparents.
How about creating special New Year memories together as a family?
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- Games and activities everyone can enjoy together. A collection of fun play ideas.
- [Part 2] Recommended Indoor Activities and Recreation Games for December
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- [Perfect for New Year Parties] Recommended Psychology Test for January
- Indoor Games for Small Groups: Exciting Recreational Activities
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
- [Children’s Club] Easy and fun indoor games. Exciting party games
New Year’s Games: Traditional Pastimes & Fun Games for All Ages (41–50)
Trump
Playing cards offers many different ways to play, and it’s fun that the rules can vary by region and generation.
In the game “Daifugō” (often called “Rich Man” or “President”), where players compete to be the first to get rid of their hand, there are rules like banning going out on certain cards, a “revolution” that reverses the strength of the numbers, and “8 cut,” which lets you clear the current pile when an 8 is played.
During New Year’s, when people who don’t usually meet get together, it might be fun to play Daifugō with various opponents and enjoy the differences in rules.
Other games like Sevens and Old Maid are also great recommendations for New Year gatherings with a big group.
buzzing top
A buzz-top that spins when you pull the string left and right.
It’s easy to make using familiar materials like milk cartons or empty snack boxes, so why not try making one with your child and playing with it over the New Year holiday? The patterns that emerge while the buzz-top is spinning are very beautiful, so it’s also fun to make several in different colors and designs and compare them.
There are many types of traditional spinning tops in Japan, so try making a variety, starting with the buzz-top, and enjoy a Japanese-style New Year.
origami
Origami is a popular pastime enjoyed by people of all ages, from children to adults, where you fold things like airplanes and cranes for fun.
How about using origami to make New Year–themed items such as the first sunrise of the year, kagami mochi, or a battledore? The first-sunrise origami is especially interesting: you create three motifs—Mount Fuji, the sun, and clouds—and combine them, so it’s worth a try even for adults.
You can also enjoy experimenting with unique materials like washi paper, so definitely give it a go!
first calligraphy of the year
Some kids even started playing Go after reading the smash-hit manga Hikaru no Go.
By that logic, plenty of people might have taken up calligraphy or penmanship after reading calligraphy-themed manga like Tomehane!, Barakamon, or Shosen Toppa! How about doing a first-calligraphy-of-the-year with just the right balance—keeping Tomehane’s detailed rules in mind, but staying reasonably free? There’s a saying, “The year’s plan begins on New Year’s Day,” so let’s boldly commit your New Year’s goals to paper in calligraphic form!
Hama-nage
Hamanage is a traditional New Year’s game that has been played in Kagoshima, Satsuma for roughly 800 years.
Players strike a wooden disc called a “hama,” which is made by cutting a log into slices about 6 cm in diameter, using a wooden stick called a “botto,” similar to a hockey stick.
Although the game temporarily declined due to a prohibition order in the Taisho era, it was revived with the establishment of a preservation society in 1963 (Showa 38) and has remained popular to this day.
New Year’s is a time when many of us want to reconnect with the beauty of traditional Japan.
Why not experience Japanese culture through games passed down from ancient times?
bamboo-copter
A taketombo is a simple toy made of a wooden stick and propeller-like wings, which you play with by spinning the winged tip.
You can also make a taketombo from materials like milk cartons or construction paper instead of wood, making it easy for anyone to enjoy.
It also helps children physically grasp a physics concept: the initial thrust is converted by rotation into inertia—the energy that keeps it spinning.
For young kids, this makes it a recommended activity that can benefit their future studies.
stilts
Take-uma is a game where you assemble a long bamboo pole and a short bamboo pole in a cross shape, sit sideways on the short pole, and try to walk without falling off.
Because bamboo has a relatively small base, keeping your balance is very difficult, and at first even just standing still is hard.
It’s challenging not only for children but also for adults, so it could be fun for the whole family to try and see who can master it the fastest.
When you try it, make sure to prioritize safety and do it in a wide, open area with no people or objects nearby.