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 that children can enjoy (41–50)
children’s portable shrine (for festivals)
When it comes to local festivals, the mikoshi is a must, isn’t it? The large mikoshi carried by adults is powerful and impressive to watch, but the ones carried by children, shouting in unison as they do their best, are adorably charming too.
Even children—by the upper grades of elementary school—can carry it steadily and seem quite dependable.
It’s also cute to see little kids pulling the mikoshi or walking alongside it while chanting “Wasshoi!”
Games that liven up a festival. Ideas that children can enjoy (51–60)
soap bubble
Bubbles are loved by both adults and kids, and it’s exciting when lots of them float around all at once.
We used to play by blowing through straws, but now there are all kinds of bubble products.
There are ones that make big bubbles and ones that create many bubbles at once—you can choose what to use depending on the occasion.
lottery; drawing lots; raffle
When you went to festivals as a kid, didn’t you always try the lottery at least once? Those lotteries had so many toys and stationery that drew children in.
You’d hear rumors like, “Does the first prize ever actually come out? Has anyone even won it?”—almost like an urban legend.
Still, you can’t help but give it a shot.
Let’s prepare lots of prizes and make the lottery fun!
children's dance
A classic choice for recitals and performances is dance.
It’s an act that works regardless of the number of participants and is enjoyable for the audience too.
Large group dances are impressive to watch, and even with a small group you can create excitement by coordinating costumes and more.
If it’s for a festival or fair, it’s also great to liven things up with dances and songs in the style of Bon Odori.
Above all, children dancing are simply adorable, and I think parents and spectators alike can join in and have a lively, fun time together!
Bingo game
Bingo is a classic game for events that everyone—adults and kids alike—can enjoy.
Numbers are called as they come out of the bingo machine, and if you have the number on your card, you mark it.
Get a full line—vertical, horizontal, or diagonal—and it’s bingo! And of course, as with any bingo game, you can win prizes.
You don’t have to buy a bingo machine; you can rent one, and these days there are also apps, so it’s easy to enjoy.
children's taiko drums
When you think of festival music, it’s all about the flute and the taiko drums, right? In some regions, there are children’s taiko teams, and festivals often serve as their recital.
Even if you don’t practice year-round, preparing for the festival and putting on a performance can really liven things up.
We don’t get many chances to hear taiko drums, so it’s great to experience their sound in person at events like these.
Chikirin Tournament
Chikirin refers to the small metal gong used in festival music.
At the Chikirin competition, groups perform traditional rhythms using this chikirin along with Japanese drums and flutes, and they compete based on their performance.
It’s an attraction that lets you enjoy and become familiar with traditional Japanese instruments and classical music that have been passed down since ancient times.
Festival music is indispensable to any festival, so it’s highly recommended—spectators can soak up the festive atmosphere too!