Indoor and outdoor activities that avoid crowding. Enjoyable for students from first to sixth grade.
Some of you may be looking for games that can be played while maintaining social distance as a way to prevent colds and protect against viruses.
Games that can be played without close contact—such as ones that involve “minimal talking” or “keeping children from getting too close to each other”—are ideal.
In this article, we’ll introduce games that elementary school students from first to sixth grade can enjoy.
We’ve picked a wide range of themes, from activities that can be played in the classroom to ones that let kids move their bodies outdoors.
Try setting different rules for lower and upper grades and give them a go!
- Play ideas kids can enjoy from 1st to 6th grade [indoors & outdoors]
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
- [Elementary School] Quick and Easy! Indoor Recreational Activities Perfect for Lower Grades
- Fun Indoor Games for Elementary School Kids Without Any Equipment
- [Children’s Club] Easy and fun indoor games. Exciting party games
- Recommended for upper elementary grades! Exciting indoor recreation and games
- [Elementary School Rec] Recommended Games and Performances for a Fun Party
- Elementary School Fun Day a Big Hit! Indoor Game Idea Collection
- [Elementary School] Indoor Games and Recreational Activities Recommended for Upper Primary Grades
- Outdoor games and recreational activities recommended for children
- [For Kids] Exciting Class-vs-Class Games: Team Competition Activities
- A big hit at after-school childcare! A special feature on group games and activities you can play without any equipment
- A simple and fun co-op game that enhances teamwork
Indoor and outdoor activities that avoid crowding. Enjoyable for grades 1 through 6 (1–10)
A Daruma’s Day
You know the game “Daruma-san ga koronda,” right? A variation of it is called “Daruma-san’s Day.” Normally, when the It player turns around, everyone has to freeze, but in this version you have to move according to a prompt.
For example, if the caller says, “Daruma-san spun,” you must spin.
It also gets exciting if, instead of specific actions, you call out animal names.
Ultimately, players aim to tag the It player, but try to adapt the rules so there’s no physical contact.
Solo partner acrobatics
Group gymnastics often conjures images of crowded formations.
This idea is for a “solo technique group gymnastics” routine performed individually.
Start by trying simple movements like balancing on one leg.
Once you get used to it, add actions such as leaning your body forward.
If everyone in a line performs this, you can create a sense of unity like group gymnastics without actually forming groups.
Other movements include the V-hold and the bridge.
If you want to make it look even better, pay attention to synchronizing the timing of the movements.
Treasures Scattered Throughout the School Building
Let me introduce a non-crowding, campus-wide mystery-solving kit called “Treasures Scattered Around the School.” It’s a product sold by Akazuno Hako, a company known for escape games.
Players form teams of four and explore the school building while solving puzzles.
The kit is designed to prevent crowding, with measures such as not having multiple people use the same item and avoiding gatherings in one place.
By the way, kits are available for groups ranging from 50 up to 800 participants.
For more details, please check the official website.
Indoor and outdoor activities that avoid crowding. Enjoyable for grades 1 through 6 (11–20)
Badminton Through the Ages and Across the World
Introducing Kokon Tozai Badminton, a game that engages both body and mind.
First, let’s touch on the “Kokon Tozai Game.” In this game, players take turns answering based on a chosen theme, and the person who gets stuck loses.
Classic themes include things like “animal names” or “stations on the Yamanote Line.” Kokon Tozai Badminton is simply playing this game while playing badminton.
You must answer at the moment you hit the shuttle, so the faster you return it, the more you can pressure your opponent.
Let’s start by choosing a theme.
Text erasure
Let me introduce a letter-erasing game you can enjoy with nothing more than a whiteboard.
First, write out the full set of Japanese syllabary (the gojūon) on the whiteboard.
Then make words by combining those syllables and erase each character as you use it.
Keep repeating this and experiment to see how many characters you can erase in total.
It’s not a competitive game, so everyone can cooperate and play together.
You can take turns in a large group, or split into smaller groups—either works.
By the way, a tip is to use “ぬ,” “む,” “ろ,” and “る” early on.
Illustration Telephone Game
The game of Telephone is something many people have played.
The “Illustrated Telephone Game” is a variation of it.
The first player looks at a prompt image and draws an illustration resembling it.
When finished, they show their drawing to the next person, who then draws their own illustration in the same way.
Because the game is about how much you can convey using only drawings, no conversation is allowed during this process.
After the last person finishes their drawing, they reveal what they were drawing along with the picture.
If the final answer matches the original illustration, you’ve succeeded!
Caricature Game
A portrait-drawing game everyone can enjoy with just paper and pens.
How to play: first, pick one person in the group as the model, and the other members draw that person’s portrait.
You only get one minute to draw! Do this for every person in the group.
When all the portraits are finished, gather the drawings and shuffle them.
Then, pick four drawings that you think are portraits of yourself.
The person who correctly identifies the most drawings they made wins.
It’s an even more exciting game when the players aren’t confident in their drawing skills!