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 (31–40)

Head, shoulders, knees, pon

Head, shoulders, knees, pat (with actions)

Head, shoulders, knees, pon

Have fun touching different parts of the body together with “Atama, Kata, Hiza, Pon.” You might know the English version, “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” and this is its Japanese counterpart.

To the melody of “London Bridge Is Falling Down,” you touch the body parts mentioned in the lyrics.

Daddy and Mommy can sing while gently touching the baby’s body! It’s a perfect song for precious parent–child bonding time.

Please enjoy these irreplaceable moments—unique to this stage of life—through this song!

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If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands

“If You’re Happy and You Know It,” made famous by Kyu Sakamoto in 1964, has since been covered by many artists and is a classic song everyone can hum along to! Many of you may have sung it at camps or recreational events, or played the accompanying hand motions.

When singing it with a baby, gently touch their hands, feet, or cheeks in time with the lyrics.

If you’re parents looking for a song to share during precious bonding time, consider using this as a reference.

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Tanuki of Fist Mountain

Tanuki of Fist Mountain

Tanuki of Fist Mountain

“Genkotsuyama no Tanuki-san” is a traditional children’s song beloved across generations.

It’s based on familiar experiences everyone shares, like being held and falling asleep.

The song includes motions for drinking and sleeping, and because the actions match the lyrics, even very young children can learn and play along right away! Learn the cute choreography and try playing together.

For the last part of the chorus, it’s fun to add your own twist—strike your favorite pose or play rock-paper-scissors.

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Donguri Korokoro

Japanese Children’s Song – Donguri Korokoro 3D! – Donguri Korokoro

Donguri Korokoro

Donguri Korokoro is a delightful song that tells the story of where an acorn rolls off to.

Composed in the Taisho era, it’s said to be one of Japan’s three greatest children’s songs.

It’s perfect for soothing a baby or singing together! Because it has a storyline, you might try performing it as if you’re narrating, bringing out joy, anger, sorrow, and delight.

While keeping your baby lying down and moving their hands and feet, or holding them and adding gentle physical contact, be sure to share this nostalgic, classic Japanese song with them!

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Shopping at the bakery

Hand play “Shopping at the Bakery” for 3-year-olds

Shopping at the bakery

“Going Shopping at the Bakery,” a hand-play song where you go to the bakery and buy various kinds of bread.

Hand-play songs are typically enjoyed from around age three, but since this one involves gently pinching your cheeks or pulling the corners of your eyes to match the bread names, it’s also a song that babies in the newborn stage will enjoy if you do it gently.

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