[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 together. Also great for sports days (41–50)
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.
Team Gesture Game Competition
It’s a game where one person on the team looks at a prompt and acts it out with gestures, while the other members try to guess what it is.
It tests the team’s ability to cooperate—choosing movements that are as clear as possible and carefully observing even the small details.
Setting a time limit to push for quicker answers is also recommended; the rush to convey the idea might lead to some funny, unexpected movements.
If you gradually make the prompts more detailed and difficult, you’ll likely start to see each person’s unique style in which parts they focus on when they move.
Plastic Bottle Bowling
Here’s a popular indoor activity: plastic bottle bowling.
Prepare 10 empty plastic bottles and add a small amount of water to each to stabilize them.
Wrap construction paper around the bottles to decorate them.
Once ready, line up the bottles and get a safe rubber ball.
Let the children roll the ball and enjoy plastic bottle bowling.
Count how many bottles fall to determine the winner.
Adjust the rolling distance based on the children’s age by making it longer or shorter.
Mochitsuki Hand Game
In time with the chant, “Mochitsuki taikai, saa! Konete” (“Mochi-pounding festival—now, knead it!”), pairs of two play a clapping rhythm game called “Mochitsuki Hand Play.” The key isn’t just clapping: you weave your hands through without touching your partner’s, and clap in the open spaces.
It calls for a good sense of rhythm, dynamic visual acuity, and concentration, and when it goes well, the excitement really builds.
Even beginners can enjoy it right away, and it’s great both for dementia prevention and as a party game for adults.
With simple rules, no equipment needed, and playable anywhere, it’s a highly recommended hand game.
Operation Hide-and-Seek
A cute parent-child hide-and-seek event recommended for younger children, such as those in the preschool class.
For this activity, please have the children wear the same outfit, like gym uniforms or smocks.
Each child holds a camouflage cover made from newspaper and hides inside it.
At the start, the guardians turn their backs and cover their eyes, and at the signal of “Ready!” they all begin searching for their own child.
Since everyone looks similar, finding the right child is surprisingly challenging.
Divide into teams like White and Red, and compete to see which team can find their children the fastest and have the parent and child sit down together first.
balloon volleyball
Let’s have fun moving our bodies! Here are some ideas for balloon volleyball.
Volleyball is a sport where two teams face off across a net, hitting the ball back and forth to score points.
This time, all you need is a single balloon.
You can even find them at 100-yen shops these days, so it’s easy to prepare.
The way to play is simple: two or more people face each other and tap the balloon with their hands to keep a rally going.
Once you get used to it, try counting out loud or playing a word-chain game (shiritori) while you rally.
Ball Carry Tag
Here’s an adapted version of “tag” with ball carrying.
The rules are very simple! Wearing a flag, teams start at the starting line and try to carry as many balls as possible to the goal within the time limit.
There are taggers (oni) in between, so be careful not to let them take your flag.
If a tagger takes your flag, reattach the flag placed by the tagger and return to the start to try again.
It’s also a team game where you aim to transport all the balls without getting caught.
It’s fun to come up with strategies, like having someone act as a decoy.
We also recommend switching between the carrying team and the tagger team and using this as an event in a sports day.
