[For 1-year-olds] Fun Together! Recommended Songs and Hand Play Collection
One-year-olds are starting to move their hands and bodies and show interest in all sorts of things around them.
When you sing to them, they happily clap along to the rhythm and sway their bodies as they enjoy the music.
So this time, we’ll introduce recommended songs and popular hand-play activities for one-year-olds.
We’ve gathered plenty of hand-play songs that one-year-olds can enjoy singing, including songs with fun repeated words and songs that introduce colors and numbers as you sing.
They’ll surely keep asking, “One more time!”
These are perfect for filling small gaps between activities or as a warm-up!
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[For 1-year-olds] Fun Together! Recommended Songs and Hand-Play Activities (1–10)
Let’s clap our hands
“Let’s Clap Our Hands” is a song where you can enjoy various movements and expressions that match the lyrics.
Because it includes expressions of feelings like laughing and getting angry, it brings out a wide range of emotions in children.
If the teacher expresses themselves boldly and even a bit theatrically, the children will feel free to join in enthusiastically.
Watching their earnest efforts with such cute expressions is sure to be heartwarming.
Since it involves full-body movement, please move chairs and desks to make enough space.
Rubber Boots March
The children’s song “Rain Boot March” is sure to make outings on rainy days more fun.
The lyrics depict cheerfully walking along in rain boots, not minding muddy roads or puddles.
A one-year-old may not have many chances to wear rain boots yet, but singing this song could be one way to help them enjoy gloomy rainy days.
The lyrics include onomatopoeia that imitates the sounds of walking in rain boots and the rustling, squishy feeling of wearing them, which your child is sure to enjoy.
Tulip
“Tulips” is a simple song that shows flowers blooming beautifully and includes the three primary colors—red, blue, and yellow—in its lyrics.
Its tempo and pitch make it easy to sing, so children can learn it quickly.
While getting familiar with the song, it’s also a great idea to observe real tulips in the garden or on a walk.
Around age one, children start taking an interest in nature, like flowers and insects, so this can be a good opportunity to introduce them to tulips.
Adding simple hand motions to the song will make it enjoyable for children who love to dance.
[For 1-year-olds] Fun Together! Recommended Songs and Hand Play Collection (11–20)
Song of a little bird
The cheerful chirping in “Kotori no Uta” makes it a perfect song for one-year-olds who are starting to take an interest in plants and animals.
The lyrics that portray the chirping are adorable, and the idea that the birds are singing to call their mother and father is also lovely.
It might even overlap with the children right in front of you.
When singing, it’s nice to imitate birds and enjoy expressing yourself freely.
It’s also fun to have everyone transform into cute little birds and enjoy it like pretend play.
Thunder God has arrived.
This song is an adorable hand-play tune that helps children learn parts of the body while having fun.
A thunder character called Kaminari-don appears, and the lyrics encourage kids to hide various body parts.
Set to a rhythmic melody, it repeats actions like hiding the belly button, bottom, and ears, so even one-year-olds can take part happily.
As the song progresses, the number of parts to hide increases, allowing children to naturally use their whole bodies while playing.
It’s perfect for indoor play on rainy days and for Setsubun events as well.
Piglet-raccoon dog-fox-cat
The children’s song “Kobuta, Tanuki, Kitsune, Neko” is a nursery rhyme sung while playing a word-chain game with animal names.
It was written and composed by Naotsumi Yamamoto, who created many pieces of music for nursery rhymes, TV dramas, and films, including “Ichinensei ni Nattara.” Because the song repeats the names of the animals that appear in the title, it’s easy to remember, and children who are just starting to talk may be able to mimic the lyrics and sing along.
In the second verse, you imitate each animal’s call.
The quirky onomatopoeic words are likely a curious and amusing highlight for kids.
Be sure to add hand motions to match the animals as you sing!
Head, Shoulders, Knees—pon!
Have fun touching your own body with “Head, Shoulders, Knees—Clap.” It’s sung to the melody of the English nursery rhyme “London Bridge Is Falling Down.” As you sing, do hand motions by touching the body parts mentioned in the lyrics.
If it’s “head,” touch your head; for eyes or nose, pointing is fine too.
After touching your knees, clap once.
First, let your child watch the moves, then have them imitate you, or gently guide their hands and move together.
It’s also a great chance for them to learn the names of their body parts and discover what each place is called.