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!
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Nursery rhymes and play songs to enjoy with your baby: Gentle children's songs (11–20)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Song
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a picture book by American author Eric Carle that’s beloved around the world.
This song, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar Song,” sets that story to music just as it is.
Of course, it’s fun to read the book and follow the narrative, but following the story through music engages the imagination in different ways, so it’s highly recommended! Even babies can let their imaginations expand in their own way.
The melody is gentle, as if it directly reflects the relaxed world of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, so you can listen in a calm, unhurried mood.
Knock knock knock knock, Grandpa with a beard
Tonton Tonton Hige Jiisan features all kinds of characters, like a bearded grandpa and a person wearing glasses.
It’s also popular as a fingerplay song where you act out the characters with your hands.
For the bearded grandpa, you place both hands in fists under your chin.
For the person with glasses, you make two circles with your hands and hold them over your eyes to look like you’re wearing glasses.
With its upbeat melody and visually engaging gestures, this song is fun even for babies to listen to!
Buzz buzz buzz
Even slightly scary bees can feel cute in this children’s song, “Bun Bun Bun.” Based on a folk song that was sung in Bohemia, Czechia, it depicts bees buzzing around flowers in search of nectar.
In Japan, as the title suggests, the buzzing sound of a bee is expressed as “būn,” but in German the sound is expressed a bit differently, so the title there is “Summ, summ, summ.” Honeybees are essential for the growth of beautiful flowers, vegetables, and fruits.
If you don’t bother them, it’s rare to have a frightening experience, so when you see them while out for a walk, try singing or listening to this song from a safe distance.
Mr. Bear, Mr. Bear
The nursery rhyme “Kuma-san, Kuma-san” imagines your baby as a cute little bear and can be used as a gentle exercise to move their arms and legs.
Move and bend your baby’s hands and feet to match the lyrics.
When moving their hands, it’s easier if Mom or Dad lets the baby hold onto their thumbs.
This song is also known as a jump-rope chant for playing double Dutch—children sing it while jumping and act out the movements in the lyrics.
With the hope that your child will enjoy those games when they’re older, use this song now to create a special bonding time between your baby and Mom or Dad!
Donguri Korokoro
The children’s song “Donguri Korokoro,” starring the acorns that fall all over the roads in autumn, has actually been around since the Taisho era.
It has appeared in music textbooks and was selected as one of Japan’s 100 Best Songs.
The story tells of an acorn that rolls and tumbles into a pond, where it meets a kind loach and plays together.
But the fun is short-lived; the acorn starts to miss the place it came from, and a sense of loneliness sets in.
Its whimsical world where an acorn and a loach play, along with the lively melody, is sure to delight even babies!
What shall we make with rock, scissors, paper?
“What Shall We Make with Rock, Scissors, Paper?” is a hand game that uses the rock–paper–scissors shapes: rock (gu), scissors (choki), and paper (pa).
You form each shape with your hands and combine them to make different things appear.
For example, make a rock with one hand and a paper with the other, place the paper on top of the rock, and you’ve got a helicopter.
You can stick to well-known shapes, but creating your own originals is also recommended! Try bringing out lots of fun things that will delight your baby.
Nursery rhymes and play songs to enjoy with your baby. Gentle children's songs (21–30)
TulipSakushi sakkyoku: Kondō Miyako Inoue Takeshi
The children’s song “Tulip” features tulips in a variety of colors.
Its lyrics say that tulips blooming in different colors are all wonderful.
For babies who haven’t seen a tulip yet, it might spark excitement as they wonder what the flower looks like.
Beyond the colors mentioned in the song, tulips also come in pink, orange, and purple, as well as colorful varieties with multiple hues blended together.
When spring arrives and you start going out for walks, remember this song and try looking for tulips in many different colors!