Lovely childcare

Fun to dance! A roundup of recommended dance songs for young children, perfect for daycare and sports days

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 for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.
Nursery Teacher Mom Writertsukada moe
After working for five years at an after-school childcare club and three years at a nursery school, I began working as a freelance writer. I’m a mother of two children. Inspired by playing the flute in the school wind ensemble in elementary school, I joined a jazz club at university. I’ve also incorporated ukulele and piano performance into childcare. Playing, laughing, feeling sad, feeling frustrated—through all kinds of experiences, I want children to grow.

Dance activities in daycare and at sports festivals are very important times for children!By moving their bodies to music, they can learn a sense of fun and rhythm.Choosing a special dance for the upcoming sports festival is one of the exciting parts, too.Here, we introduce recommended dance songs for young children that are perfect for daycare and sports festivals.Kids who are tuned into trends will also enjoy dancing to more mature-sounding songs.Choose dances and exercises that match the children’s preferences, and have both kids and adults get excited together!

Fun to dance! A roundup of recommended dance songs for preschoolers for daycare and sports days (141–150)

Dynamite

[Full Song Version] [For Kindergarteners] BTS - Dynamite | Easy Choreography [For Elementary School, Nursery, Toddlers, Sports Day, Recital]

Dynamite

Isn’t it likely that even kids have heard BTS’s massive hit “Dynamite” at least once? It’s such a fun, feel-good dance track that makes your body move naturally! The official choreography might be tough for preschoolers, but because the song was such a hit, tons of dance videos have been uploaded, including “I tried dancing” covers.

Some of them even introduce kid-friendly choreography, so check those out for reference! If it’s a familiar song, it might be easier to memorize the moves, too.

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Disney exercises

Former Nursery Teacher Sings and Dances: Disney Exercise Routine (for Daycare and Kindergarten)

Disney exercises

Let’s have fun exercising to Disney music that kids love! We’ll do exercises to a medley of Disney songs like “Mickey Mouse March,” “Yo Ho,” “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,” and “It’s a Small World.” Since many of the tunes are familiar, you can sing along while you move! The movements are simple, like Radio Calisthenics—stretching, jumping, and so on.

Cute, Disney-style motions are mixed in, so you’ll enjoy moving your body all the way to the end.

Even kids who get bored with regular exercises are sure to feel more motivated when Disney songs start playing!

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Let’s move forward! Clap your hands!

Let's Move Forward! Clap Your Hands! ~Tie-in Song for the Movie “Shimajiro and the Rainbow Oasis”~ [Official Shimajiro Channel]

Let's move forward! Clap your hands!

This bright and lively song is a heartwarming piece themed around the courage to move forward and the bonds of friendship.

Structured so you can sing along while clapping to the rhythm, it embraces the anxiety and fear of taking steps ahead as natural feelings, while conveying the importance of overcoming them.

The desire to cherish friendships and hope for the future is expressed through a gentle melody.

Used as an insert song in the film Shimajiro and the Rainbow Oasis (released in March 2017) from the series Shimajiro no Wao! The Movie, it colors the adventures of Shimajiro and his friends.

It’s a perfect song to enjoy with children while moving their bodies, whether during group time at nursery and kindergarten or at home!

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Fun to dance! A collection of recommended dance songs for young children for daycare and sports festivals (151–160)

Yo-kai Exercise No. 1Dream5

Yo-kai Watch: Yokai Exercise No. 1

Yo-kai Exercise No. 1Dream5

The ending theme of a TV anime, sung by Dream5 and beloved by both children and adults, is creating a buzz.

This work charms listeners with its fun, upbeat style that portrays everyday little happenings—like oversleeping or being picky about food—as the doings of yokai.

Their 12th single, released in April 2014, was a tie-in with a TV Tokyo anime, and with choreography by Lucky Ikeda, it became a huge topic among children.

It’s a song that kids can enjoy moving their bodies to together, with easy-to-learn choreography that makes it a hit at nursery and kindergarten events.

It’s also recommended for parent-child recreation and as a dance for sports days.

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Insect Tai Chi

[Gymnastics Choreography] Insect Tai Chi / Mitsuru & Ryota

Insect Tai Chi

Highly recommended for toddlers who love insects! Mitsuru and Ryota’s popular exercise song “Insect Tai Chi.” It starts with slow movements, then everyone copies the poses of four well-known insects, following the chants.

With the fun of a quiz-like feel and a gradually faster tempo, it’s a song kids can dance to while laughing.

There’s also a version with eight insects, “Advanced: Insect Tai Chi,” so older kindergarten classes should definitely give it a try.

If you can dance the “Advanced: Insect Tai Chi,” you’ve mastered it!

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Age-age donuts

[Age Age Donuts] Look! Dance! Sing! So much fun! A super popular kids’ song loved by everyone! [With choreography]

Age-age donuts

We’d like to introduce a donut-themed song and dance called “Age-Age Donuts.” The upbeat tempo and feel-good lyrics are key points.

When the lyrics say “Age-Age Donuts,” extend both arms and strike a donut pose.

Matching movements to the lyrics and incorporating rhythmic motions will make the dance even more fun.

While asking everyone what flavor of donut they like, enjoy the dance as if you’re making delicious donuts together.

If you’re performing at a recital or event, we also recommend colorful costumes and decorations in donut-inspired colors.

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Bean Squadron Bibin-Biin

With Mother: Latest Songbook - The Bean Squadron Bibinbiin

Bean Squadron Bibin-Biin

Especially boys tend to love superhero teams, don’t they? This song, “Omame Sentai Bibinbi~n,” features little beans who fight for love, peace, and, of course, rice.

The choreography includes transformation poses that kids will want to imitate, and the music itself is really cool.

How about becoming part of the Bean Ranger Squad together with the kids and dancing in style? If you prepare sentai-style costumes or bean-themed headgear, it’ll really boost the kids’ excitement.

Let them come up with their own signature poses so they can express their idea of what’s cool!

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