Japanese Children’s Games

45web.net

Does anyone else feel like this summer is just FLYING by? We are enjoying our summer routine of swimming at the pool, hanging out at the playgrounds, and attending library storytimes, but we could definitely use more variety in our activities 🙂

If you are looking for something new to do with your kids, I have the perfect resource for you.

ミックスジューチュそとあそ　is FULL of fun games that children in Japan play (doesn’t require technology or money!)! The games are divided into several sections: outdoor games, games using items from nature, parent-child activities, water games, etc. The original site is all in Japanese but they’ve recently added an ENGLISH SITE as well! There are seriously SO MANY games…36 different versions of the game TAG alone!

Here are some games that I plan to play with my kids asap!

* あしたてんきにな〜れ (using shoes to predict the weather)

* あしじゃんけん (paper-rock-scissors with your feet)

* いろおに (Color Tag)

* だるまさんがころんだ (Japanese version of Red Light Green Light)

45web.net

I’ll try to do an individual how-to post on these games sometime. What I LOVE about this website is that there are pictures/photos/animations for each game! That makes it so easy to understand how the game is supposed to be played. The site also has a LINKS page that’s definitely worth checking out!!

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あそびのひろば (Asobi no hiroba) is another website full of games. It has many games that include singing songs.

genki-morimori.jp

Now stop reading/blogging and go have fun with your kids! Let me know if you try any of these activities 🙂