[Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
Lively, fun recreation games that get elementary school kids excited! Whether in the classroom or the gym, there are plenty of activities that bring smiles to everyone’s faces.
Here, we’ll introduce fun ideas ranging from team-versus-team cooperative games and brain-teasing hiragana quizzes to active ball tag—everything from no-equipment options to games you can enjoy with simple prep.
These games help deepen friendships and reveal new sides of each other, so be sure to enjoy your time with friends through play!
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Tag/Chasing-type Games (11–20)
Red Light, Green Light
Isn’t “Daruma-san ga koronda” a game that people of all ages in Japan have played at least once? While the “it” player chants “Daruma-san ga koronda,” everyone moves closer to them, and when the “it” player turns around, everyone must freeze.
Anyone seen moving has to hold hands with the “it” player.
When the person who got the closest cuts apart the hands the “it” player is holding, everyone runs away at once.
It’s a game that allows for lots of variations.
A Daruma’s Day
A Day in the Life of Daruma is a fun game perfect for elementary school students.
Many of you probably know Red Light, Green Light (Daruma-san ga koronda), and this is its upgraded version! The tagger says “Daruma-san did ___,” and the blank changes each time.
For example, if they say “Daruma-san went to sleep,” everyone has to strike a sleeping pose.
If you can’t make the pose in time or the tagger doesn’t accept it, you’re out! It’s a heart-pounding, super fun game.
You can play it indoors, so it’s perfect for rainy-day parties too.
Try adding your own variations and have fun!
Crawling tag
When it comes to playing tag indoors, it’s hard to secure enough space, and running around can be dangerous, so it’s not really an option, right? In that case, how about “crawling tag”? As the name suggests, you can only move by crawling! Since crawling makes it hard to move for both adults and children, you can enjoy tag safely even indoors.
Plus, when playing with kids, adults often have to hold back—but with crawling, differences in size and running speed don’t matter, so you can have a fair, all-out match without holding back!
Color demon tag
This “Iro-oni” is a variation of tag where there’s a rule that you can’t be tagged while you’re touching the color chosen by the kid who’s “it.” Once “it” selects a color, the trick is to catch others quickly before everyone runs to that color.
After everyone has escaped to that color, “it” can choose a different color.
It’s fun because the safe zone changes every time the chosen color changes.
Tag/Chase-style Games (21–30)
Hide and Seek
When you stay indoors all the time, your body gets sluggish and your spirits can sink.
At times like that, how about playing “Hidden Tag” in a quiet park, by a riverbank, or in an open square where there aren’t many people? First, one person is It.
During the first 15 seconds, It doesn’t chase anyone, so run as far as you can.
If you aren’t caught for the next 3 minutes, the runners’ team wins.
It eventually turns into a game of tag, so it’s a great way to get some exercise when you’re feeling out of shape.
And let’s give a prize to the winning team!
Sport Tag
When it comes to tag, it’s a classic outdoor game for kids.
The basic rule is that if you get tagged by “it,” you switch roles and chase those who are running away.
There are various versions like Color Tag and High Tag, but today we’re introducing “Sports Tag”! Sports Tag is played by two teams competing to capture treasures located in the opponent’s territory.
There are safe zones where you can’t be tagged, and depending on how you’re tagged, you may have to return to your own side to restart.
These rules make it a fresh and different way to enjoy the game!
In conclusion
We introduced a range of recreation games for elementary school children, from those that get them moving to ones they can enjoy quietly.
Each activity can be a valuable experience for children, helping them deepen friendships and discover new talents.
Please use the ideas we shared to create memorable and enjoyable moments together.