Recommended activities and recreational games for November: A collection of ideas to enjoy autumn
November brings a deepening chill.
As the natural world turns shades of red and yellow, are you looking for autumn activities everyone can enjoy together? In this article, we’ve gathered a variety of games and recreational activities, featuring plenty of autumn delights like sweet potatoes and acorns.
They all use familiar materials like newspaper and paper cups, so they’re easy to play with family and friends.
You’ll also find rhythm games set to children’s songs and active games to warm up your body—perfect for making autumn memories!
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Recommended games and recreational activities for November: A collection of ideas to enjoy autumn (41–50)
oshikura manju (a children’s pushing game)
Oshikura Manju is a game where everyone stands back-to-back in a circle and pushes outward.
Can you stay inside the circle until the end? But more important than winning is having fun together, right? Even small children can join in as long as you keep safety in mind, making it a perfect chance to strengthen bonds with family and friends.
As autumn brings more chilly days, why not spend some energetic time with this traditional, active game? With Oshikura Manju, let’s create warm memories that outlast the cold.
Butt relay
When it’s rainy and kids can only play indoors, some of them get stressed because they can’t move their bodies as much as they’d like.
That’s especially true for kids who love sports, right? In times like that, we recommend the “butt relay.” The butt relay is a game where you don’t use your hands or feet—you scoot using only your butt and compete for speed.
Because it doesn’t involve big, flashy movements, there’s little risk of injury.
But since it’s not a movement we usually do, once you try it, it actually feels like quite a tough workout! It’s a game that lets kids move their bodies to the fullest without worrying about getting hurt.
Zabuton Daruma Otoshi
If you have plenty of zabuton cushions at home, definitely give this a try.
Stack the cushions and sit on top.
Then, while seated, jump slightly and have someone pull out the cushion from underneath you at just the right moment.
The more cushions you stack, the higher the difficulty.
Rock, paper, scissors—what are you going to throw?
Many of you have probably played this before at some point.
Unlike regular rock-paper-scissors, you first form a shape with both hands.
Then, after seeing your opponent’s shape, you throw your move.
You could say it’s like both players doing rock-paper-scissors after the fact.
The mind games really heat up.
Rock-Paper-Scissors Train
Janken Train is a fun indoor game you can play to music.
It’s especially lively with a large group! Walk around the room to the music, and when it’s time to play rock-paper-scissors (janken), face the nearest person and play.
The person who loses moves behind the winner, holds onto their shoulders, and walks together.
Keep repeating janken like this, forming a longer and longer line like a train.
The person who ends up at the very front of the line at the end wins.
Even adults will feel the excitement of janken—play it with a big group and it’s guaranteed to get everyone fired up!
Torn-paper collage
Chigiri-e is an art where you tear origami or washi paper and assemble the pieces into a single picture.
Since you simply tear the paper and stick it on, it’s easier than folding origami.
It’s recommended as a play activity for small children who still find folding difficult, and as finger-mobility brain training for seniors.
Since November brings deepening autumn, let’s tear paper to make a fall-colored tree! For the trunk, either glue a tree-shaped piece of paper onto construction paper in advance, or draw the trunk first.
After that, just tear origami in autumn colors—red, orange, brown—and paste the pieces on.
Create a lovely tree so you can enjoy “momijigari” (autumn leaf viewing) indoors, too!
Balloon tape remover
It’s a game where you stick pieces of cellophane tape on an inflated balloon and peel them off one by one.
Whoever makes the balloon pop when peeling loses.
The trick is to take your time and peel slowly without rushing.
It’s an easy game to play when it’s cold and you don’t feel like going outside.
balloon juggling
It’s a great game for people who don’t want to play outside because it’s cold, but still want to move their bodies.
You use a balloon and see how many times you can juggle it.
If you don’t time it right, it won’t fly well, and depending on the angle, it might go off in a strange direction.
The nice thing is you can play it even in a small space.
Chopstick Splitting Game
It’s basically a two-player game.
You extend your index fingers on both hands and take turns touching the other person’s fingers.
The person who gets touched must raise that number of fingers.
When a hand reaches an open-palm (all fingers up), you pull that hand out.
You lose when you have to pull out both hands.
The game is also known by different names depending on the region.
Domino toppling
Domino toppling is a classic game, but this is the reverse: you use chopsticks to stand the fallen dominoes back up.
If you set a limited area to work in, the dominoes you’ve already stood will get in the way, making the next ones harder to place and increasing the difficulty.
It’s an indoor game that’s more exciting than it looks.