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 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.
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!

Dancing is fun! A roundup of recommended dance songs for preschoolers for daycare and sports festivals (21–30)

Unpapa Exercise

Movie Tie-in Dance Song: Shimajiro and the Flying Ship 'Unpapa Taisou' [Shimajiro Channel Official]

Unpapa Exercise

The dance song “Unpapa Taiso” from the 2020 film Shimajiro and the Flying Ship is a very bright and wonderful tune.

The choreography is simple enough that even children in kindergarten or nursery school can master it—that’s a big plus! Clapping your hands, striking poses like blooming flowers—just dancing along will make you feel happy.

It’s perfect for school performances or morning exercises.

There’s an official video where you can learn the dance together with Shimajiro, so be sure to try dancing it with everyone.

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Nice idea!Ryokushokushakai

Nice Idea! / Ryokuoushoku Shakai [Sports Day/Recital Dance] Easy Dance Choreography

Nice idea!Ryokushokushakai

A song filled with brightness, positivity, and fun had its major release in March 2024.

Used as the commercial song for Kagome’s “Yasai Seikatsu 100,” it carries the message that by shifting your perspective, mornings can become even more enjoyable and everyday moments can turn into something wonderful.

Its catchy pop rhythm and tempo perfectly match a lively dance that kids can enjoy together.

The warm lyrics cherish children’s curiosity and discoveries, while encouraging an upbeat, forward-looking attitude.

It’s a track you’ll want to dance to with children at sports days and recitals.

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Furu Furu Fruit

[Childcare] “Furu-Furu Fruits” Ages 2+ — Sports Day & Recital Dance [PriPri]

Furu Furu Fruit

“Furu Furu Fruits” is a dance song that lets you learn different kinds of fruit while dancing and singing! With cute lyrics featuring lots of fruits that kids love and simple choreography, even children around two years old should be able to dance to it.

For a recital, dressing the kids up in fruit costumes will make it even cuter—highly recommended.

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Karada Dandan

[2021 Latest] “Karada☆Dandan” from Okaasan to Issho – Full Live-Action Version by Ear (Full Cover), High-Quality Version [Dance]

Karada Dandan

The exercise segment is one of the most popular parts of NHK’s program “Okaasan to Issho.” Since April 2019, when the exercise hosts were replaced, the song changed from “Bunbaborn” to “Karada☆Dandan.” The lyrics were written by manga artist Sensha Yoshida.

It might seem like an odd match, but the lyrics are really fun! While you dance, you can pretend to be all kinds of creatures—like sea animals and dinosaurs—and have a great time.

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GaoGao All-Star

[Little Glee Monster] “Gao Gao All-Star” - Music Video Short ver. -

GaoGao All-Star

“Gao Gao All-Stars” is a song that was used as the ending theme for the anime Pokémon XY.

The dance isn’t very difficult because you step along to a slow tempo.

The hand movements are super cute! There are poses in the middle, too, so even younger kids can enjoy dancing to it.

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Chara the World

[Official MV] Otoppe Ending Song “Chara the World”

Chara the World

The ending song of NHK’s show “Otoppe,” called “Charra the World.” It has a cute choreography where two people pair up, clap hands, and wiggle their hips, so isn’t it perfect for younger children? The lyrics are a bit quirky, but the tune is bright and well-known, so it’s a great recommendation for a school performance!

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PopopopoposeGReeeeN

Popopo Pose / GReeeeN [Sports Day, Recital Dance] Easy Dance Choreography

PopopopoposeGReeeeN

Popopopopo Pose is a song GReeeeN wrote specially for the NHK educational program Inai Inai Baa!.

It’s an energetic, powerful track that just overflows with pep, and there’s even a video of popular E-TV characters like Wanwan, U-tan, and Yuki-chan dancing to it, which makes it easy to picture.

The choreography is based on the classic “rock-paper-scissors” hand shapes, so kids can get a good workout right to the tips of their hands and feet.

Songs sung by GReeeeN are easy for adults to get into as well, and the fact that kids can add their favorite poses is a point they’ll love!

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