Party games that are a hit at kindergartens and nursery schools

Captain’s Orders Game

These are the captain's orders! The orders game — a play activity in kindergarten.

It’s a game where the person who becomes the captain gives orders, and everyone plays by following those orders.

The captain comes up with various commands.

Children should listen carefully to the captain’s orders and move accordingly.

It’s also a fun game because you can think about what kinds of orders to give when you become the captain.

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Hito Sui

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ladder rock-paper-scissors

Ladder Rock-Paper-Scissors [Indoor Game]

Divide into two teams.

Each team lines up at one end of a single-file grid that represents a ladder.

At the signal “Ready, go!”, the front person from each team heads toward the opponent’s starting point, and when they meet on a square, they play rock-paper-scissors.

The loser steps off the ladder, goes to the back of their team’s starting line, and the next person at the front sets off toward the opponent in the same way.

The winner continues advancing into the opponent’s territory.

The team that ultimately manages to push through to the enemy’s starting point wins.

Reaction Game

Even toddlers can do it! Here’s a reaction game (recreation game) using markers.

Let’s play with color markers! Here’s a reaction game idea.

It’s perfect for anyone who wants to get kids moving and playing together.

Arrange colorful markers in a circle and place a marker or token in the center—then you’re ready to go.

When the teacher gives the signal, participants circle around the center.

You can make it more fun by adding variations, like switching direction when the teacher claps.

It’s a simple game where players try to find the marker that matches the color of the one the teacher raises along with the signal.

What am I saying?

What am I saying? Quiz [Childcare Toolbox]

A simple, instant-fun quiz where you guess what someone is saying.

As the name suggests, an adult mouths some words, and the children try to guess them.

If you decide on themes in advance—like animals or vehicles—it’ll be easier for the kids to figure out the answers.

You can also adjust the difficulty by changing the length of the words or phrases.

Give it a try when you suddenly feel like running a quick quiz.

And instead of just asking the questions, try doing it to a song or music to make it even more exciting.

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yamamoto

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Curling Bingo Game

Make it with paper cups! Here’s an idea for a curling bingo game.

Curling is the sport where you slide heavy stones across an ice rink and try to place them as close as possible to the center of a target area called the house to score points, right? This time, let’s use paper cups as the stones and set the house as a 3×3 grid to enjoy a bingo-style game.

Split into two teams and, like tic-tac-toe, adjust your force and control your direction to line up three in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

Watermelon splitting

It’s great that you can play it over and over! Here’s an idea for a watermelon-splitting game.

Many people have probably experienced traditional watermelon splitting at the beach, river, or a barbecue in summer.

This time, let’s enjoy a pretend version using milk cartons.

What you’ll need: milk cartons, scissors, paper plates, thumbtacks, newspaper, permanent markers, colored construction paper, glue or double-sided tape, and so on.

It’s a wonderful idea that will let children feel a sense of achievement and fulfillment—like “I did it!” Be sure to give it a try.

A waterless yo-yo

@niconico_mama

That make-and-play thing😍💖 It’s guaranteed to be a hit at your at-home festival play!!!💖 There’s no water inside, and it’s wrapped all around with washi tape, so even if it breaks, it won’t be a shock 🤭✨ It’s easy to make and super fun to play with 😆🙌 Not just washi tape—try vinyl tape or patterned duct tape… round stickers or your favorite character stickers… There are so many ways to customize it 😍🙌 Make them in lots of colors and have fun—💕 —————————— Here’s what I used: • Balloons • Round stickers, washi tape • Rubber bands —————————— ☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆ Thank you always for your comments and likes 😊 Some people even tell me, “I made it!” and that makes me so happy ☺️♥️ I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s “We played!” and “We made it!” posts 😆✨✨ ☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆Summer FestivalYatai (food stall)ChildcareChildcareParenting

♬ POKÉDANCE – Pokémon [Official]

Enjoy decorating it too! Here’s an idea for a no-water yo-yo.

How about making the popular water yo-yo from summer festival stalls without using any water? The bouncy, springy feel when you flick it with your hand is so fun! You’ll need balloons, washi tape, rubber bands, and stickers.

Inflate the balloon, wrap it with washi tape, then attach a rubber band—and you’re done! You can also use your favorite washi tapes or decorate with stickers to make it even more exciting!