Old-time play: fun children's games
Kids are geniuses at play, aren’t they? They can have a great time even in open spaces without playground equipment, and they come up with ways to play with toys that adults would never imagine! Of course, kids today are creative too, but back in the days before smartphones and game consoles, children played in even more inventive ways.
Many of those old-fashioned games are still fun for kids today.
In this article, we’ve gathered lots of classic, enjoyable games from the past.
We’re also introducing plenty of activities you can try right away, so be sure to check them out!
- Nostalgic games that were popular when we were kids
- Fun Indoor Games for Elementary School Kids Without Any Equipment
- Recommended outdoor games you can enjoy without any equipment
- A nostalgic toy that was popular in my childhood
- [Let’s Make and Play!] Handmade Toy Ideas You Can Create Yourself
- [Children’s Club] Easy and fun indoor games. Exciting party games
- [Active Outdoors!] A roundup of garden games you can enjoy with your kids
- [Make with Kids] Handmade Outdoor Play Toy Special
- [For Kids] Today’s Handmade Craft Ideas
- [For Kids] Today's Recommended Recreation Idea Collection
- [List] A roundup of games and recreational activities kids love
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
- Elementary School Fun Day a Big Hit! Indoor Game Idea Collection
Old-fashioned games. Fun children's games (1–10)
Beigoma (spinning top)
This is another game steeped in Showa-era nostalgia.
You spin iron tops and smash them into each other to battle.
It offered heated, sumo-like matches.
Just as gear-spun tops that don’t use strings have made a comeback and are popular today, it’s a timeless pastime that remains a close companion to children no matter how many years go by.
Menko
A quintessential Showa-era pastime, “menko.” Many adults today probably still remember the designs on the menko cards they used to play with.
The rules were simple—slam it down and flip the other card—but the matches could get pretty intense.
Plus, there was a collectible aspect: some people took pride in gathering lots of designs, like baseball or superhero menko.
buzzing top
I think many people have done this in elementary school art class—it’s the nostalgic “whirligig” button spinner! You punch a hole in the center of the disk, thread a string through it, pull both ends taut, and when you tug, it spins with a buzz from the centrifugal force.
The patterns and that buzzing sound were so fun, weren’t they? I remember being a little moved back then by how beautifully it spun with a design of my own.
Old-fashioned games. Fun children's games (11–20)
balancing toy (Yajirobe)
A balancing toy that supports itself by keeping balance with thin arms extending to the left and right from a slender body.
Many of you may have made one using an acorn for the body.
Once the body is set, insert bamboo skewers or similar sticks on both sides, attach weights to their ends, and it’s complete.
Try playing with it and see if it balances—feel the excitement as you test it!
hopscotch
Even now, you sometimes see chalk marks for hopscotch drawn on the asphalt, don’t you? It’s a game where you combine landing with both feet apart and landing on one foot, and you hop along the circles you’ve drawn.
It reminds me of the time I once drew an insanely long hopscotch course.
Chinese jump rope
Rubber-band jumping where you rhythmically hop between two bands! More girls might have tried it.
Two people hold the ends of the rubber band, and one or several players jump inside the bands.
It looks simple, but trying to hop quickly and in rhythm is trickier than you’d think! You can jump to music, move the bands to raise the difficulty, and there are lots of ways to play!
Lillian
Lilian is a craft that uses a thread called rayon to make decorations and accessories.
Easy DIY kits for making Lilian are sold at 100-yen shops and elsewhere, and it has become a quiet trend.
Nowadays, many people make it as part of DIY, and it can be enjoyed not only as a children’s pastime but by adults as well.