Grade-level activities that elementary schoolers get genuinely excited about! A collection of ideas that will captivate the entire class

Balance Rock-Paper-Scissors Survival

🧡No.78 [Parent-Child Play / Boosting Motor Skills] “Balance Rock-Paper-Scissors Survival” The playing area gets smaller and smaller 😱 Can you make it through on one-legged balance?!

In this game, each participant uses one sheet of newspaper.

First, as preparation, each participant spreads out their newspaper and stands on it.

When the game starts, you play rock-paper-scissors with your designated opponent.

If you win, you wait as you are; if you lose, fold your newspaper once.

Repeat this process: the player who can no longer stand on their own territory—the newspaper—loses.

If you keep losing, the area you can stand on gets smaller, so you’ll end up standing on one foot or on tiptoe.

It seems like balance will be the key to pulling off a comeback victory.

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sasashina

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Who am I? quiz

[A Game Kids Can Enjoy] Who Am I? Quiz

If you want to try a fun quiz with everyone, how about a “Who Am I?” quiz? You give hints that lead to the answer—the “I”—and have the players guess what it is.

For example, if the answer is a refrigerator, you might give hints like: it has multiple doors, it runs on electricity, and it holds lots of food.

You can adjust the difficulty by choosing what kind of hints to give and how many, so tailor it to the age of the players.

If you want to make it easier, narrowing down the category is also recommended!

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Picture shiritori

Only Bizarre Answers: Elementary and Middle Schoolers Try Picture Shiritori—but It Completely Falls Apart!?

This game is basically playing shiritori—which you’d normally do with words—using drawings instead.

Give each participant a pen and a notebook, and decide the order with rock-paper-scissors or something similar.

The first player draws a picture, then shows it to the next person.

Adding verbal explanations is not allowed, so make sure to show only the drawing.

The key to keeping the shiritori going isn’t drawing well, but quickly capturing and expressing the key features.

That said, the fun often comes from the moments when you’re stuck thinking, “What is this drawing?” or when you’re trying to figure out links in the chain that don’t quite connect!

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sasashina

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Chinese jump rope

Let's try rubber band jumping!! #1

This is a game where you make a loop out of 2 to 3 meters of flat elastic, like the kind used for sewing, and two people hold it or clamp it around their legs while someone jumps.

It has been popular with children since the Showa era and seems to have been especially trendy in the 1980s.

The jumper hops and twists the elastic in time with a song, and it’s also fun to gradually raise the height when they succeed.

Avoid busy sidewalks and play in safe places like parks.

These days, colorful elastics made specifically for this game are also sold.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Territory-Janken

Jintori Rock-Paper-Scissors [Elementary School Physical Education • Body-Building Activities]

There are many ways to play territory-taking with rock-paper-scissors.

In the method shown in the video, only the winner gets to advance, but there are other versions where if you lose, you go back to the end of the line and start over; you run along lines and play rock-paper-scissors when you bump into an opponent; or you designate a “king,” and players who lost and are sitting down can be revived if the king touches them.

It’s nice that it adds physical movement to regular rock-paper-scissors.

Be sure to try out various rock-paper-scissors territory games!

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Hula hoop relay

@houkagoday_yawara

Hula Hoop Relay 🎄 Let’s all work together to pass the hula hoop through everyone within the time limit by using our bodies skillfully! Needed: a hula hoop Objective: Movements like passing, ducking through, and carrying the hula hoop use spatial awareness, balance, and agility at the same time, boosting body control. Tip: Decide in advance whether it will go from the head or from the feet to make it go smoothly! Give it a try 💫#Indoor Play# developmental support (ryōiku)#AtHomePlayAfter-school day serviceNagasaki

♬ Comical lively cute sports day – SOUND BANK

For this hula hoop relay, prepare one hula hoop and, while everyone holds hands, pass the hoop along in order from one end to the other.

The team that gets the hoop to the last person the fastest wins.

Because everyone needs to work together, it’s great for building teamwork.

You can play with teams of the same size, or try timing your runs.

It’s exciting and nerve-racking to see when the hoop doesn’t pass smoothly, or when it goes perfectly thanks to everyone’s cooperation.

Give it a try!

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Saying one thing, doing the opposite.

This is a tricky game that requires no preparation.

Following the rule “say the same, do the opposite,” if the leader says “forward,” you say “forward” out loud while moving backward.

Doing the opposite of what you say can be pretty confusing.

As variations, you can try “say the opposite, do the same,” “say the opposite, do the opposite,” or gradually increase the tempo.

The more everyone gets confused, the more exciting it becomes, so definitely give it a try.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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