Nursery rhymes and play songs to enjoy with your baby. Gentle children's songs.
We’d like to introduce some nursery songs to enjoy with your baby.
These days, many babies are exposed to music from the time they’re in the womb through prenatal education.
Some families sing nursery rhymes as lullabies to help put their babies to sleep.
In this article, we’ve gathered gentle nursery songs and lullabies you’ll want to listen to with your baby, along with playful songs great for childcare and popular anime tunes.
They’re all fun songs that even babies who don’t understand words yet can enjoy.
Please try listening together as a parent and child.
Also perfect for baby massage!
Nursery rhymes and play songs to enjoy with your baby. Gentle children's songs (1–10)
LullabySakushi: Kitahara Hakushū / Sakkyoku: Kusakawa Shin
Cradle Song, sung by Rimi Natsukawa, is perfect for lulling a baby to sleep.
Released in 2011, this song is a beloved lullaby from the Taisho era with lyrics by Hakushu Kitahara and music by Shin Kusakawa.
In 1967, the male vocal group The Bonny Jacks performed it on the program Minna no Uta.
The song paints a gentle scene around a cradle, helping babies drift off peacefully.
In Natsukawa’s version, the melody is woven together with the soft tones of the Okinawan sanshin, reflecting her roots.
Be sure to give it a listen during those tender moments as your baby falls asleep.
Toy Cha-Cha-ChaSakushi: Nosaka Akiyuki (Hosaku: Yoshioka Osamu) / Sakkyoku: Koshibe Nobuyoshi
What if the toys that played so much during the day were free to play while we’re asleep…! The nursery rhyme “Omocha no Cha-Cha-Cha” conjures up scenes like Disney’s Toy Story.
It was originally created as an adult pop song, but was later remade with the current lyrics and became beloved by many children.
It’s also fun to take out various toys you have at home and sing while adding a little twist to the lyrics! Adding simple hand motions to match the words makes it even more enjoyable to sing.
Close It, Open ItNEW!sakushisha fushou
In dazzlingly fresh May greenery, don’t you feel like getting active and playing with the kids? That’s when the perfect choice is that familiar hand-play song with the motions of opening and closing your hands.
Simple yet irresistibly engaging for children, its melody is actually said to have its roots in an opera by the French thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
In Japan, it became widely loved in its current form as a play song after being included in the May 1947 elementary school textbook First-Grade Music.
Its easy-to-remember rhythm and movements are also great for interacting with very young children who can’t speak yet.
How about trying it outdoors on a picnic, sitting face-to-face and playing together as parent and child?
skylark skylarkNEW!warabeuta asobi
In the pleasantly breezy month of May, here’s a nursery rhyme game with a springtime bird theme that we hope parents and children will enjoy at a relaxed pace.
It’s characterized by short, repeated phrases that call to the birds and depict traveling over mountains and through valleys.
You can rock your child on your lap, use your fingertips to represent hills and valleys—there’s no single right way to play! Though it’s a traditional song passed down in local communities since long ago, new audio recordings with fresh ways of singing were released as recently as March 2021, and it continues to be loved today in various forms, especially in early childhood settings.
Precisely because there’s no fixed answer, you can tailor it to your child’s age and the atmosphere of the moment—that’s the charm of this piece.
On a warm, sunny day, why not find your own original way to play together with your child?
Hand in hand ♪ (Friends Ver.)shimajirou
Shimajirō, the beloved character from the popular kids’ program Kodomo Challenge, sings “Hand in Hand (Friends Ver.).” In the first verse, just like the title says, everyone holds hands to form one big circle; in the second verse, it continues with a warm message about everyone smiling together.
The bright melody, filled with Shimajirō’s energetic spirit, is sure to catch even a baby’s attention.
For now, it’s a circle made with Mom and Dad, but when you grow up, join hands with your friends and make an even bigger circle! With that wish from Mom and Dad, enjoy listening together with your baby.
strollInoue Azumi
Once they can walk, I want to go for strolls together while singing this song! The piece that inspires that feeling is “Sanpo,” which is also used as the opening theme for Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro.
It depicts the exciting experiences and discoveries that await along the path when you head out for a walk.
It’s also great to listen to while chatting with your baby—like suggesting you go look for those creatures that appear in the song.
The bright, upbeat melody has a lively tempo that your baby is sure to enjoy!
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” is a lullaby for babies.
It spread worldwide in the 1800s with the English title and lyrics “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and it remains beloved around the world today.
The lyrics describe the stars shining in the night sky, but it is also sometimes sung with lyrics adapted to help children learn the alphabet step by step.
Because the English lyrics use simple words, it’s nice to listen to the English version as your child grows.
Enjoy a peaceful moment of sleep with this song, which carries the gentle light of the stars.