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)
Paper cup pull
Why not add the easy yet exciting “Paper Cup Pull” to your recreational activities? It’s perfect for indoor play, so kids can have fun with friends even on days when it’s hard to go outside! Prepare one paper cup for each player with a string attached and have each person hold their string.
Play some music, and when it stops, everyone pulls their string.
Meanwhile, a designated person with a basket tries to interfere by covering the paper cups with the basket.
The player who pulls their string and secures a paper cup before it gets covered wins! This game can also help boost children’s reaction speed.
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.
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!
A big hit in after-school care! A special collection of group play and game ideas you can do without any equipment (151–160)
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!
paper airplane
Paper airplanes are a classic pastime that almost everyone has tried at least once.
They’re perfect for a quick break, but you can also take your time and experiment.
You can enjoy the folding itself, and then compete for distance or speed with the planes you’ve made.
Since physical strength doesn’t matter, kids of different ages can have fun together.
The way a plane flies changes depending on how you fold it, and there are plenty of tutorial videos with different methods.
Use them as a reference to build even better paper airplanes and have fun flying them!
River Crossing Tail Tag
Let me introduce a tail-tag river-crossing game that gets your heart racing when you cross the river.
Create a “river” using mats or tape.
The tagger waits on the bank.
The runners attach a tail to their backside and dash across the river with as much momentum as they can.
The tagger’s chance to grab a tail is when the runners are crossing the river! You’ll need explosive speed and clever evasive moves.
If you make it cleanly across the river, you succeed.
The tagger then waits for the next person to come and cross.
Setting a time limit can make the game even more exciting.
