A big hit at after-school childcare! A special feature on group games and activities you can play without any equipment
Many of you may be looking for games that captivate children and are indispensable for the exciting activity time in after-school care.
Group play unique to after-school programs includes plenty of activities—both outdoors and indoors—that get everyone lively and engaged, while naturally nurturing motor skills and communication.
Here, we introduce fun game ideas that spark smiles, such as group shiritori, the telephone game, and DIY archery.
These activities are enjoyable for both small and large groups, so be sure to try them out in your after-school care setting!
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A big hit at after-school care! A special collection of group play and game ideas you can do without any equipment (141–150)
Territory-Janken
Let’s move our bodies and play! Here’s an idea for a territory-taking rock-paper-scissors game.
Two players face off; if you win, take three steps forward, and if it’s a tie, both take one step, racing toward the goal.
It’s fun to see each person get creative—taking big strides or making big jumps to move ahead! You can also customize the rock-paper-scissors itself, like using your whole body for “body rock-paper-scissors” or using your feet for “foot rock-paper-scissors.” It’s a great way to have fun while inventing ideas together with the kids.
Air-reading game
Let’s read the room so we don’t overlap with our friends! Here’s an idea for a “reading the room” game.
It’s a unique game that helps elementary school students develop the ability to act while watching the timing and what’s happening around them.
In a group of 4–5 players sitting in a circle, you take turns standing up while calling out numbers.
The rule is simple, but what matters is avoiding overlapping timing with your friends.
Through the game, kids can build awareness of others and quick decision-making skills.
The atmosphere is tense at the start, but when two people stand up at the same time, everyone can’t help bursting into laughter!
Birthday chain
It’s a simple recreation activity often used at the start of a new school term or during company training.
It’s frequently done to ease the tension when meeting people for the first time.
But it’s also a lot of fun just as a game! The rules are simple: without speaking, line up in order of birthdays from January 1 to December 31.
The more people, the better, so it’s perfect for exchange events with other schools at camp, for example.
Another plus is that you can play it repeatedly by changing the groupings.
Teachers should definitely join in, too.
It seems suitable for students from around upper elementary school and up.
A big hit in after-school care! A special collection of group play and game ideas you can do without any equipment (151–160)
Bingo Relay
When you think of bingo, you might imagine playing with cards and markers, but a relay-style bingo that gets kids moving is a great fit for energetic elementary schoolers.
In this version, players place objects inside rings to make bingo.
Splitting into two teams makes speed important, but there’s also room for strategy—like placing items to block the other team’s bingo—which is a nice touch.
Doing two things at once can be tough even for adults.
Besides being good exercise, it’s recommended because it helps build decision-making skills.
Drawing Shiritori
Pictionary shiritori is a game you can quickly enjoy during free time in middle school! You keep drawing pictures, each one starting with the last sound of the previous picture’s name.
Unlike regular shiritori, sometimes it doesn’t connect properly because of how well—or poorly—someone draws.
It might even be so good that no one can tell what it is! All you need are writing utensils and some paper like a notebook, and you can play anytime—a simple, easy game that gets everyone excited.
If you play it together in after-school care, it’ll surely become a great memory!
Hula hoop tunnel
Every after-school care center has hula hoops, right? This is a game where everyone can play together by passing through a hula hoop.
Everyone lines up side by side and holds hands.
Starting with the person at the front who has the hula hoop, at the signal they step through the hoop and pass it to the next person, repeating this to see which team can reach the goal the fastest.
If your team has fewer members, it also works well to have the front person move to the back after passing the hoop to the next person, repeating that until you reach the goal.
Hand-push sumo
By the time kids reach the upper grades of elementary school, there’s quite a noticeable difference in their sizes, and that makes regular sumo a bit too imbalanced.
In that case, how about playing “hand-push sumo” instead? Surprisingly, this game can be enjoyed regardless of size differences.
It might even be trending among kids now—NHK Educational TV’s popular show “Suiensā” did a special on hand-push sumo techniques.
It could be nice to secretly teach these tips to smaller students.
Since you can play it even on rainy days, it might be a good idea to prepare a backup plan for rainy weather, like a tournament bracket!