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 (11–20)
draining
Stone skipping you can enjoy even if you go to the river empty-handed! You don’t need to bring anything—just find a stone you like along the riverbank.
Throw the stone toward the river with a spin and compete to see how many times it skips across the surface.
Choose a stone that’s slightly thicker in the middle, lower your hips, spread your feet, relax your arm, and throw—those are the keys to a good skip!
bamboo-copter
It’s a very simple, old-fashioned game, isn’t it? Those bamboo-copters, made by fitting pieces of bamboo together, would soar up into the sky with a quick spin of both hands—the sight of them carried all the dreams of boys who longed for airplanes and helicopters.
Nowadays you can even find plastic ones at 100-yen shops, so it might be fun to secretly buy one and give it a try.
stilts
Takeuma: riding on bamboo sticks modeled after horses.
Nowadays, versions made of plastic and other materials are sold, but in the past people played using sturdy bamboo.
It’s a bit challenging and can be hard to mount on your own.
If you’re not used to it, have someone support you while you get on.
If no one is available to help, start by leaning the takeuma against a wall and mounting from there.
ring toss
This is a game you still occasionally see at festival stalls.
You throw rings and try to land them on pegs, and it was exciting to get prizes based on how many you got on.
At night stalls, I bet some of you begged your mom or dad, saying “One more time!” when you couldn’t do it well.
Where are you from?
This is a game played by bouncing a ball to the rhythm of the song “Anta gata doko sa.” When the song reaches the syllable “sa,” you lift one leg and pass the ball under it.
Be careful not to lose control of the ball at that moment.
At the end, if you can spin around once while the ball is bouncing and then catch it, you succeed! When playing with a group, form a circle and take turns bouncing the ball; each time the song hits “sa,” switch to the next person.
Hana Ichi Monme
It was a children’s game where we split into two groups and competed to pick the kids we wanted.
It’s a bit of a shocking game, with lines like “I want that kid” and “I don’t want that one,” but it felt great to be chosen first, didn’t it? I wonder how many years it’s been since we sang that song—it’s a game I’d love to try again even as an adult.
Old-time games. Fun children's play (21–30)
Kagome Kagome
Pick one person to be “it.” The “it” person sits down with their eyes covered.
The other children join hands in a circle and walk around “it” while singing “Kagome Kagome.” When the song ends, “it” says an animal like “dog” or “cat.” The person standing behind “it” then imitates the sound of the named animal.
Listening to the sound, “it” tries to guess who made it.
If the guess is correct, switch who is “it.” If it’s wrong, keep the same “it” and start over from the beginning.
To avoid making it too hard, imitate the animal sound using your normal voice without changing your voice color.
