[Parent-Child Rec] Recreational activities and games for parents and children to enjoy together—also great for sports days.
We’re introducing recreations, games, and crafts that are perfect for parent–child activities at sports days and for quality time at home!
If you’re a teacher unsure which parent–child events to include in your sports day, or a parent looking for fun activities to enjoy with your child, please feel free to use this as a reference.
If you’re not fond of active movement or don’t have much space, crafts are a great option.
Crafts also leave you with something tangible, making for a wonderful keepsake.
Work together to take on challenges, or create memorable pieces, and strengthen your bond while enjoying parent–child activities!
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[Parent-Child Rec] Recreations and games for parents and children to enjoy. Also great for sports days (31–40)
Puzzle-solving stamp rally
A popular puzzle-solving activity often featured at local events and theme parks! If you’re planning a slightly more elaborate parent-child recreation, how about a “Puzzle-Solving Stamp Rally,” where you solve puzzles, collect stamps, and reach the goal? Stamp rallies often evoke the image of traveling long distances, but adding puzzles makes the thinking time fun, so it can be done easily even in a small space.
Let’s work together as a parent and child—thinking this way and that—and aim for the goal!
Jump into a rock-paper-scissors game!
The “Rock-Paper-Scissors Jump Game,” which combines rock-paper-scissors with jumping, is a playful activity that helps children learn how to use their bodies while potentially improving their athletic ability.
Create waiting spots on the left and right, and have participants play rock-paper-scissors with the person next to them.
The winner then jumps while moving from their current waiting spot to the one on the opposite side.
It’s a simple game that repeats this process, so any child old enough to play rock-paper-scissors can join.
For the jumping styles, start with a “rock” jump keeping both feet together, then move to a “scissors” jump.
After that, switch to a gallop and finally to a “paper” jump.
Tabletop curling game
Curling, the ice sport seen at the Winter Olympics.
This video introduces a simple craft that lets you enjoy curling casually on a tabletop.
By attaching a clear plastic file sheet, they’ve made it slide more smoothly.
If you have toy cars, they’ll glide even on plain paper or cardboard, making it even easier.
It’s also fun to write down point values and compete for scores.
Exercise play you can enjoy at home
Even when you can’t play outside, you still want to move your body! In times like that, let’s enjoy some active play at home.
For infants and toddlers, try baby massage or touch-and-play activities.
For preschoolers through elementary school kids, how about a spy game with a treasure hunt or a round of table tennis on the table? For the spy game, setting up obstacles around the room and preparing a treasure map can really liven things up.
For table tennis, you can substitute household items: a tissue box for the net, a pot lid for the paddle, and a super ball for the ball.
Parent-child cooking
Working on cooking together as a parent and child is a very meaningful time.
The process of making delicious dishes while the guardian and child cooperate provides a wonderful opportunity to deepen their communication.
It is heartwarming to see the guardian carefully teach the tasks and the child engage earnestly.
By enjoying the finished dishes together, they can also share a sense of accomplishment.
Through cooking, children can cultivate independence while strengthening family bonds.
Newspaper flipping game
It’s a game where you tear newspaper into small pieces and scatter them around.
You’ll see kids enjoying it in different ways—some get mesmerized by the mysterious movement of the paper, while others get excited and playful.
The materials are easy to get, so it’s great for starting right away.
If you let the children do the tearing themselves, it becomes fine-motor exercise, and they can enjoy the texture and sound of ripping paper.
At the end, turn cleanup into a game of collecting the pieces in a bag, and it becomes a great bit of exercise too.
5 super fun activities
We’ll be introducing five activities: “Irregular Play,” “Swirly Tail Chase,” “Receive & Catch,” “Ball Rolling Play,” and “Cross Rubber Jump Tail Chase.” They mainly use a ball—putting it into a basket, catching it, and combining movements like hopscotch and forward rolls to get the body moving.
In “Swirly Tail Chase,” attach a jump rope instead of a string and run away from the tagger, changing directions between clockwise and counterclockwise.
For “Cross Rubber Jump Tail Chase,” stretch elastic bands across the room and escape from the tagger while jumping over the bands.
[Parent-Child Event] Card Flipping
![[Parent-Child Event] Card Flipping](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Habw49ZjS4M/sddefault.jpg)
Flip scattered cards over to change them to your team’s color in this card-flipping game.
Because two teams play at the same time, cards you flip might get flipped back, so you won’t know who’s winning until the final whistle—it’s a thrilling, exciting event.
For older kindergarteners, children can play on their own.
For younger children, it’s recommended that they hold a guardian’s hand and flip cards together.
Be careful not to bump into others flipping nearby, and try to turn as many cards as you can to your team’s color!
Rock-paper-scissors Guriko
A game where only the person who wins rock-paper-scissors gets to move forward.
Scissors moves 6 steps for “chocolate,” paper moves 6 steps for “pineapple,” and rock moves 3 steps for “Glico.” Draw several lines in a wide area and have teams compete to see who can reach the other side first—it really livens things up! You might find that an unexpected child is great at rock-paper-scissors.
It’s a game that even gets parents playing seriously without thinking.
Rock-Paper-Scissors Train
If you want to fully enjoy recreation in a wide-open space, we recommend “Rock-Paper-Scissors Train.” It’s a game that parents and children can enjoy together.
You play rock-paper-scissors, and the loser lines up behind the winner.
You keep playing and make the train longer and longer.
If you keep winning, you’ll be at the front of a long train! Because you can run around a lot in a large area, it’s perfect for playing with a big group.
