Traditional Japanese Game - Daruma-san ga Koronda (“The Daruma Fell Over”

It’s the Japanese version of “Red Light, Green Light”!

👣 How to Play:

Supplies: Just an open space and a group of players.

Steps:

1. One child is chosen to be the “Oni” (the tagger) and stands at one end of the space facing away from the others.

2. The rest of the players start at the opposite end.

3. The Oni shouts “Daruma-san ga koronda!” loudly (it means “The Daruma fell over”) while the others move forward.

4. As soon as the Oni finishes the phrase, they turn around quickly. Everyone must freeze in place.

5. If the Oni sees someone moving, that person is sent back to the start.

6. The first person to tag the Oni becomes the new Oni!

✨ Tips:

• Teach the kids the phrase by breaking it into sounds: “Da-ru-ma-san ga ko-ron-da!”

• You can add fun by having everyone say the phrase together while learning it.

• Works brilliantly indoors or out, and no equipment is needed!