Lovely childcare

Nursery rhymes to sing to your baby! Recommended songs enjoyable from 0 months

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.

Here are some heartwarming songs recommended for babies!

Why not spend a happy time by singing along to the rhythm, enjoying your baby’s smile as you do?

Sway your body to the beat and clap your hands to the lyrics—the fun will only grow.

When babies see adults singing, they naturally open their hearts and feel your love.

Playing along with cheerful songs can also give you moments when you really feel your baby’s growth!

Enjoy a joyful music time together with your little one.

Nursery rhymes to sing to your baby! Recommended songs you can enjoy from 0 years old (21–30)

Chochi chochi awawa.sakushi/sakkyoku: Okamoto Toshiaki

Kagome Kagome ♪ Kagome Kagome, the bird in the cage — a children's song Kagome-kagome

Chochi chochi awawa.sakushi/sakkyoku: Okamoto Toshiaki

Here is an old hand-play song that dates back to the Edo period.

“Chochi chochi” is said to be baby talk meaning “to clap hands.” It’s lovely to teach babies basic movements while letting them hear the sound of old Japanese, isn’t it? There’s also a theory that this hand-play song describes the proper posture for listening to others, and if you listen with that in mind, it gives you a whole new perspective.

It seems fewer people know it nowadays, but we truly want to pass down such long-standing cultural traditions to future generations forever, don’t we?

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Pom-pom ExerciseSakushi: Yanase Takashi / Sakkyoku: Nakamura Norimasa

Pom-pom Exercises (body play) Sit down~

Pom-pom ExerciseSakushi: Yanase Takashi / Sakkyoku: Nakamura Norimasa

This song has a rhythmic tempo and involves gently patting different parts of the body while naming them.

If you sit your baby on your lap and sing, they’ll be absolutely delighted! Singing also helps them learn the names of each body part.

Plus, the song includes movements babies love—like gently swaying and little on-the-spot jumps—so it combines the comfort of repetitive lyrics with exciting actions.

It’s a charming song you can enjoy together.

Be sure to try singing it with your child!

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Vegetable SongSakushi: Mado Michio / Sakkyoku: Hosokawa Takashi

Vegetable Song [With Singing] – Nursery Rhyme/Hand-Play Song

Vegetable SongSakushi: Mado Michio / Sakkyoku: Hosokawa Takashi

This is a fingerplay song that helps kids learn the names of vegetables in a fun way: “The Vegetable Song.” A variety of vegetables appear in time with the music, each introduced in a playful way.

By singing along to the rhythm and moving their hands, children may start to feel closer to vegetables.

Help them learn about tasty veggies in a fun, cute way—through their ears and their bodies.

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Murakami Shinpei

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Let’s climb a big mountain.

Baby exercises: Let’s climb a big mountain!

Let's climb a big mountain.

“Let’s Climb the Big Mountain” is also a great exercise for babies.

It lets babies who can’t move on their own get their bodies moving, and parents can enjoy singing along.

Lay your baby on their back and gently move their legs as you sing.

Move their legs as if climbing a mountain or swimming in the sea, so your child can feel like they’re visiting a big mountain or a vast ocean.

Through this close, hands-on time, shower your baby with plenty of parental love.

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Peekaboo

Peek-a-boo: Pika Pika Boo with choreography dance, NHK E-TV, Wanwan and Haru-chan – Japanese children’s song

Peekaboo

Pikapika Boo is a song featuring an adorable dance, with lyrics written by choreographer Lucky Ikeda.

It’s also a popular hand-play song on NHK Educational TV’s “Inai Inai Baa.” The choreography includes baby movements like crawling, so babies and their parents can enjoy it together! Learning the dance might actually be tricky even for adults.

There’s a move at the end where you give your baby a tight hug, so make sure to enjoy lots of close interaction with your little one!

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