Step One: Obtain materials:
A list of Japanese monsters (suggested site: The Obakemono Project)
Drawing paper
Drawing implements (ie colored pencils or crayons)
One small (soft) ball
One demon mask (I used a jack-o-lantern pattern covered with a piece of red tissue paper)

Step Two: Gather the students into a circle and explain that you’re going to teach them about Japanese monsters, or yōkai (yoh-ka-ee). Have the students pronounce the word after you. Tell them that, in Japan, not all yōkai are bad – some of them are just tricksters. Tell the students about various yōkai on your list and ask them questions to keep them engaged – what would they do with that yōkai’s powers, would they want to meet or befriend one, where would one go if it came to America. Something to get their imaginations working. Make sure they can pronounce the yōkai’s names.

Step Three: Sit them down with paper and drawing implements, have them create and draw their own yōkai. If they can write, have them put down information about it – where it lives, what it eats, if it’s friendly to humans or not.

Step Four: Set aside some time at the very end to chase the yōkai out of the room. Ask for a volunteer to be the yōkai and give them the mask. Set some ground rules – no touching, no knocking things over, etc. Inform the students that this is a Japanese New Years’ game and have them stand in a circle with the yōkai in the middle. Teach the students the chant “Good luck in, monsters out” and start passing the ball around while the “yōkai” runs around inside the circle. After a short period of time, give the ball to the “yōkai” and have them leave the room and remove their mask, then come back in.

Bibliography:
The Obakemono Project. Date Posted: Undefined. 21 Oct 2007
“Yōkai.” Wikipedia. Last Modified: Undefined. 19 Oct 2007.