[Children’s Songs of Autumn] Autumn songs, school songs, and traditional children’s rhymes. A collection of classic pieces to sing in autumn.
We’d like to introduce autumn nursery rhymes, songs, and traditional children’s songs that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults.
When you think of autumn, what comes to mind?
Pine cones, acorns, autumn leaves, moon-viewing… The more you think about it, the more images pop up, don’t they?
In this article, we’ve gathered wonderful classics that make autumn scenery unfold right before your eyes.
From gentle, soothing pieces unique to autumn that sink into the heart, to hand-play songs and traditional children’s tunes you can play and sing along with—these are all famous songs that let you experience autumn in many ways.
Be sure to listen together, sing along, and immerse yourselves in “autumn.”
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[Autumn Children's Songs] Autumn songs, school songs, and nursery rhymes. A collection of famous songs to sing in autumn (1–10)
Dragonfly, dragonfly.
Among the insects often seen in autumn are dragonflies, and this time I’d like to introduce a children’s song about them.
The song is short and easy to remember! You can just sing it, but you can also move your fingers in little circles as if catching a dragonfly, make big circles with your arms, or even spin your whole body around.
There are no set rules for how to play—feel free to express the dragonfly however you like as you sing.
It’s also fun to use props, like singing while flying a dragonfly made from origami, or slipping a ribbon between a pair of chopsticks to flutter in the wind.
Full Moon Night’s Mochi Pounding
You often hear the story that on the night of the Harvest Moon, rabbits are pounding mochi on the moon, right? If you don’t want to lose to those rabbits, you can enjoy pounding mochi yourself on the night of the Harvest Moon with this hand-clapping game, “Jūgoya-san no Mochitsuki.” It’s a hand play song for pairs: the two of you pound mochi like the rabbits inside the moon.
One person keeps both hands opening up and down, clapping rhythmically—ton, ton, ton, ton.
The other person kneads and pounds the mochi, trying not to get their hands caught between the claps.
It looks simple, but if your timing is off, it quickly gets confusing—surprisingly tricky! Be sure to enjoy it on the night of the Harvest Moon!
autumn sky
Under the clear autumn sky, the song “Akino Sora” makes you want to sing.
As the humidity drops and a refreshing breeze blows, autumn is the perfect season for field trips and strolls.
In this kind of autumn, you can’t help but raise your voice a little, trying to send it far, just like in the song.
Like shouting “Yoo-hoo!” from a mountaintop, calling out loudly toward the beautiful sky is bound to feel great! If you sing out loud—and even give a shout—you’ll feel as refreshed as the autumn sky.
When you’re lucky enough to meet a pleasant autumn sky, be sure to try it just like in this song.
[Autumn Children's Songs] Autumn songs, school songs, and nursery rhymes. A collection of classic songs to sing in autumn (11–20)
I found a little sign of autumn.Sakushi: Satou Hachirou／Sakkyoku: Nakata Yoshinao
Chiisai Aki Mitsuketa, a children’s song that’s also popular as a choral piece, is one of the songs composed for the NHK program Autumn Festival.
It was later broadcast on NHK’s Minna no Uta and continues to be loved today as both a children’s song and a choral work.
For a children’s song, it carries a somewhat melancholy mood, which feels very autumnal and exquisitely beautiful.
It’s the kind of autumn song you can’t forget once you’ve heard it.
It’s said that the lyricist, Hachiro Sato, was inspired to write the lyrics after seeing the autumn colors of the wax tree in his own yard.
Donguri Korokorosakushi: Aoki Tsuneyoshi / sakkyoku: Yanagida Tadashi
The children’s song “Donguri Korokoro” sings about the grand adventure of acorns that you often see on roads and in parks in autumn.
An acorn rolls along, falls into a pond, meets a loach, and they play together.
As they play, the acorn becomes homesick, and in the end it bursts into tears—this is how the lyrics portray the story.
The lyrics feel like reading a picture book, so the more you listen, the more it may spark your child’s interest.
If you add a hand-play routine to match the lyrics, your child will enjoy listening even more.
The Moon and the Little BoySakushi: Satou Hachirou／Sakkyoku: Nakata Yoshinao
Speaking of the moon, one of its defining features is how it changes into various shapes, like the full moon and the crescent.
“The Moon and the Little Boy” is a charming song that conveys the delight of looking at the moon’s different shapes and imagining animals they resemble.
Its gentle, unhurried tempo is memorable as well, evoking the calm feelings of a cool autumn night or the moments just before falling asleep.
The way the animals are addressed clearly conveys how the little boy is making associations from the moon.
It’s a tender piece that lets you feel both the boy’s sweet imagination and the serene atmosphere of an autumn night.
Red sky at duskSakushi: Nakamura Ukō / Sakkyoku: Kusakawa Shin
In 1919, Uko Nakamura wrote the lyrics, and four years later, Shin Kusakawa composed the music.
That’s how this beautiful children’s song came to be.
Uko wrote the words while envisioning the sunset in Hachioji, Tokyo.
It has been used as the 4:45 p.m.
chime sound across the country, and its nostalgic, warm melody has remained in many people’s hearts.
Even now, hearing it brings back memories of a fondly remembered childhood.
