Games that liven up festivals. Ideas that children can enjoy.
Festivals and fair days are fun events that kids can take part in, aren’t they? In addition to local festivals, many kindergartens, nursery schools, and elementary schools also plan summer festivals, don’t they? In this article, we’ve gathered ideas for festival games and activities recommended for those who want to find games that kids will love or want to know about events beyond food stalls.
It’s packed with fun ideas you can enjoy both indoors and outdoors, so please use it as a reference.
If you’re making the games by hand, having the children help will make great memories!
Games that liven up festivals. Ideas kids can enjoy (21–30)
maze
Mazes always draw huge crowds at any event.
They may look hard to make at first glance, but one of their charms is that they’re easy to build using everyday materials like cardboard! Since fairs and festivals are usually held outdoors, rather than using cardboard, we recommend making use of nearby community centers or the intricate features of natural landscapes.
You can set puzzles along the route like an escape game, add various tricks to give it a haunted-house feel—there are lots of ways to enjoy it! Create a maze that gets hearts racing and sparks excitement, tailored to the ages of the children participating.
Frog Toss Game
https://www.tiktok.com/@kureha_planning/video/7258584872804011265Let me introduce a frog-flinging game everyone can enjoy.
Make a target on a large sheet of poster paper and write point values on it.
It gets more exciting if you prepare a range of scores from high to low.
Once you’ve set a frog on a plastic bottle, try launching it toward the target.
It’s fun to think about how hard to launch and which section of the target to aim for.
If you set up a table and chairs, you can enjoy it while seated, so kids and seniors alike can join in the fun!
Games that liven up a festival. Ideas kids can enjoy (31–40)
Curling game
A handmade curling game that lets you enjoy strategy and a satisfying feel using familiar materials.
Cut cardboard to your preferred size to create the course, then lay a PVC sheet on top to form a slick playing surface.
Use plastic bottle caps as stones and flick them with your fingers toward the target area.
Beyond the fun of aiming by adjusting force and angle, competing with friends makes it a hit at festivals and events.
You can also customize the caps—add stickers or weights—expanding the gameplay depending on your ideas.
Balancing competitive play with crafting, it’s an easy-to-join game for children from lower to upper elementary grades.
Empty Can Fishing Game
Introducing an “Empty Can Fishing Game” that kids will want to try over and over.
Just attach paper clips or rings to empty cans and use a fishing line with a magnet or hook to lift them—simple rules that even adults can’t help getting absorbed in.
It takes concentration and a bit of technique, making you want to keep trying.
Add point values to the cans or sort them by color to make it more game-like and even more fun.
Adjust the can sizes and distances to suit the child’s age so it can be enjoyed safely.
It’s easy to prepare, low-cost, and perfect for game corners at festivals and summer fairs.
omikuji (a Japanese fortune slip typically drawn at Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples)
Speaking of food stalls and festival nights, that means the grounds of a Shinto shrine.
And when you think of a shrine… yes, omikuji fortune slips! If you offer a variety of omikuji, they’re sure to become the talk of the town.
Not only store-bought omikuji—making your own is a great idea, too.
Come up with irresistibly fun themes together, like love fortunes, future fortunes, or grade fortunes.
You can also get creative with how you hand them out: have a swimming goldfish choose a fortune, pick one by shooting an arrow, or draw one with a roulette wheel—the possibilities are endless!
Okonomiyaki Game
A perfect pick for summer festivals and fair booths is the “Okonomiyaki Flipping Game,” which is fun to watch and even more fun to play.
Using a spatula, players try to flip a large okonomiyaki made from felt or cardboard—simple, yet super exciting! You can adjust the size of the tools and the difficulty to match kids’ ages, which is a big plus.
Decorate it to look realistic and you’ll feel like you’re at an actual food stall.
You can also tweak the gameplay however you like—time the flips, aim for consecutive successes, and more.
It’s safe to enjoy indoors, easy to set up, and perfect for creating an event filled with laughter and cheers.
Lucky Ball
Lucky Ball is a game whose play style and format vary by region.
Similar attractions are popular at places like Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan.
You line up cups or use a pegboard-style target with holes drilled into a board, then throw balls about the size of a baseball.
You can set your own rules—like getting the ball into a designated color, or lining them up vertically and horizontally like bingo.
As long as you can throw a ball, anyone—young or old—can enjoy it, so it’s perfect for festivals that draw a wide crowd.
And don’t forget to prepare some eye-catching prizes!