[For Elementary School Students] A Collection of Game Ideas to Use in Social Studies Classes

Local Specialty Quiz

[10-Question Specialty Products Quiz] Across Japan! Introducing Questions About Specialty Products from All 47 Prefectures [For Seniors]

We’re going to think about local specialties from each prefecture.

Many specialties are closely related to a prefecture’s climate, geography, and history.

For example, Aomori Prefecture is the top producer of apples in Japan—do you know why? Aomori has cool summers and plenty of land, which makes it well-suited for growing apples.

Additionally, there was a period when cold-weather damage led to poor rice harvests, so people devoted themselves to cultivating apples.

Learning about a single specialty can broaden your knowledge, right? Please use this to help deepen your understanding of Japan’s prefectures.

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Nakajima Junko

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Class Recreation Consensus Game: Deserted Island Edition

This is an activity where you choose 8 items out of 17 under the scenario that you’ve been caught in a storm and stranded on an uninhabited island.

There isn’t a single correct answer; the key is to discuss why you choose each item as you make your decisions.

The criteria for what seems necessary—such as tools to make fire, food, or items to call for help—vary from person to person.

In small groups, considering what’s essential for survival will also test your ability to cooperate and persuade.

By engaging in conversation and exploring your teammates’ thinking, understanding deepens, and the adventurous theme fosters excitement and a sense of unity.

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mutō

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Debate showdown

[Debate] Are homemade lunches better than school meals for elementary school kids?! | How’s That? District Court! Episode 2

Convince your opponent! Here are some ideas for debate showdowns.

These ideas are great for developing logical thinking and communication skills.

Participants exchange opinions based on a given theme and strengthen their persuasive power to convince others.

In this game, you can train not only your speaking skills but also your listening skills and the ability to change your views flexibly.

By choosing familiar issues as themes and engaging in discussions at school or at home, you can also learn the importance of constructive exchanges of ideas.

Moral Trump

No. 4 “Morality Cards”! Consists of 13 school-life-related “conflict situations” paired with three types: “good action” and “bad action,” making one set! Five kinds of morality card games! A fun card-learning tool to enhance moral reasoning! Also ideal for special needs education!

Learn while you play! Let me introduce an idea for Moral Trump cards.

Moral Trump cards are appealing not only because they help children develop moral values while having fun, but also because you can play five different games using just the Moral Trump deck.

The content is all about things that can happen in school life and everyday situations, so children can think of them as their own experiences.

What matters is that children think through their own experiences and try to come up with answers.

Since cooperative spirit, compassion, honesty, and other moral behaviors can be learned naturally, this is an idea that’s easy to use both at home and at school.

Disaster Preparedness Quiz

Disaster Preparedness Outreach Lecture #11: A Disaster Quiz for Elementary School Students to Learn Together

Learn with a quiz! Here are some ideas for disaster-prevention quizzes.

If you acquire knowledge to protect yourself from disasters like earthquakes and fires, you’ll be able to act without hesitation when the time comes.

This time, let’s deepen our learning through a disaster-prevention quiz.

For example, a question might be: “What is the most important thing to do first when an earthquake occurs?” You can choose your answer from three options, so pick the one closest to what you think.

It’s an important quiz that helps protect lives!

Greeting game

[Japanese Activity] Greeting Game / [Aisatsu Game] Greetings, Bowing #1

Let’s greet according to the time of day! Here are some greeting game ideas.

These fun activities help you learn greetings suited to different times and cultures in a game-like way.

Walk around to music, and when the music stops, look at the illustration the teacher shows and say the appropriate greeting for that time of day—this helps develop decision-making skills! You can also incorporate greetings from other cultures, such as the United States and France, to learn greetings from around the world and expand your vocabulary.

Give it a try!

Air-reading game

An absolute crowd-pleasing vibe-reading game! Perfect for changing up your team’s atmosphere! [Play Warm-Up 25] #TsukoTraining #Icebreaker #WarmingUp #FunGames

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!