Nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs about animals
We’ve put together a collection of children’s songs that almost everyone has heard at least once, like “Elephant,” “The Policeman Dog,” and “Aye-Aye.” Because they’re made for little kids, looking at the lyrics again really shows their pleasing sound, easy-to-follow stories, and skillful word choices.
Famous nursery rhymes that have been sung for generations are perfect for parents and children to sing together.
This time, we’ve also selected many songs that you can do hand motions with, so be sure to enjoy singing along together!
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Nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs about animals (11–20)
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
The original title is “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” which is an American folk song in its Japanese version.
Many of you probably sang it as children, didn’t you? There’s also a parody version called “Osaka Umaimon no Uta” (Song of Osaka’s Tasty Foods).
Shirokuma’s Jenka Dance
Known as a folk dance tune as well, “Shirokuma no Jenka” (The Polar Bear Jenka) is a cheerful children’s song that incorporates the Finnish dance music style “jenkka.” The lyrics, featuring a polar bear parent and child, are adorable and delightful.
Piglet-raccoon dog-fox-cat
Kobuta Nukitsune Ko is a song written and composed by Naosumi Yamamoto, who is also a composer and conductor.
It is loved by children as a hand-play song as well.
The lyrics are easy for children to understand, and it’s memorable how the animals link together like a word chain.
Animal Exercises 1-2-3
It’s fun to imagine animals doing calisthenics every day to stay healthy, isn’t it? In “Animal Exercises,” you can move your body following the workout styles of many different animals.
From elephants and snakes to ducks, you’ll use your whole body, so you can expect quite a bit of exercise throughout a single song.
Best of all, by fully pretending to be the animals and moving with gusto, smiles come naturally, and you can enjoy it together with children! It seems like a great way to get your body moving energetically at the start of the day and kick off with a strong start.
aye-aye
It’s a song about the aye-aye, a species of lemur that lives in Madagascar, and since it was released in 1962, it’s older than I expected.
The lyricist, Hiromi Aida, was asked to create a song about a cute animal and chose this one because its name sounded cute.
In Madagascar, however, this animal is considered a servant of the devil, so its image changes quite a bit depending on how you look at it.
I Stepped on the Cat
Many people may have heard this song at least once when they were little.
The unique lyrics are appealing, but the melody is also very distinctive.
For those just starting to learn the keyboard, this is often one of the first pieces they try.
In the song, there’s a storyline about accidentally stepping on a cat.
It’s fun to sing while expanding your imagination with children and picturing the world of the song.
For hand play, try adding your own original dance as you sing.
The Song of Konkonshyan
This is a children’s song about animals catching colds.
Imagining sneezing animals is kind of funny, isn’t it? The lyrics were written by Miyoko Kayama, known as a picture book author, and the music was composed by Akira Yuyama, who has created many choral pieces.
Goat Mail
“Yagi-san Yubin” (Goat Mail) is a children’s song whose humorous back-and-forth between two goats is sure to bring a smile.
One day, a letter arrives from the White Goat to the Black Goat.
But the Black Goat ends up eating the precious letter.
Then the Black Goat sends a reply to the White Goat asking what the letter said.
In the song, this exchange repeats several times.
Just imagining it makes you want to chime in, but the cute interaction also warms the heart.
Some say goats really do eat paper, but it can upset their stomachs, so it’s best to tell children not to feed them paper.
Let’s sing along and have fun, letting our imaginations roam through a day in the goats’ lives.
gluttonous gorilla
Here is a song that turns hand play into a story about a gluttonous gorilla eating various foods.
It often starts with a banana, but if you freely make parody versions and have the gorilla eat different things, the possibilities expand and it becomes a very fun song.
By the way, the punchline is that when the gorilla tries to peel and eat an onion, it disappears.
Mr. Elephant
This is a song with lyrics by the poet Michio Mado.
It features a gentle exchange between a mother elephant and her baby set to a relaxed melody.
Although the song is simple, the way it captures their physical characteristics and the “I’m just like you, Mommy” kind of parent-child dialogue is quite profound, isn’t it?