Hand games toddlers and infants can do. Popular hand play songs in childcare
Here’s an introduction to recommended finger-play songs for babies and toddlers.
Finger-play songs are a popular way to communicate with babies who can’t speak yet and a favorite play activity for toddlers.
Once you start a finger-play song, kids get super interested—many will try to imitate you!
Beyond building a sense of rhythm, finger-play songs also help develop the body by encouraging children to move their hands and fingers as they intend.
They’re almost always incorporated in childcare settings.
We’ve gathered finger-play songs that are popular with toddlers, as well as ones that babies can enjoy just by listening, so be sure to give them a try!
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Hand games toddlers and babies can do: Popular hand-play songs in childcare (1–10)
Atama Kata Hisa Pon
This song, which is also recommended for baby massage, is called “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Clap.” It’s sung to the melody of the well-known nursery rhyme “London Bridge Is Falling Down,” which has been sung in England for ages and is also famous in Japan.
As the lyrics mention different parts of the body, gently touch or stroke your baby in those places.
You can not only touch but also hold that part and move it—both are fine! For the parts of the lyrics that don’t refer to a body part, give a cheerful clap.
You can even clap together using your baby’s hands.
It’s a hand-play song that moms, dads, and babies can all enjoy together.
spool (of thread); winding thread; Itomaki (traditional toy spinning top), depending on context
This song is said to be based on the Danish folk tune “The Shoemaker’s Polka.” Because similar types of songs can be found not only in Japan but also in other countries, it is believed that the melody was brought to Japan.
The Japanese lyrics were written by Miyoko Kayama, who is also a picture book author in children’s literature.
In addition, the song “Yuki no Kobōzu” shares the same melody but has different lyrics, and is a popular children’s song.
When a melody is used for various sets of lyrics, it shows just how appealing that melody is.
The Bento Box Song
Obentō-bako no Uta is a delightful, exciting song about packing all sorts of things into a lunchbox.
It’s both a fingerplay song and a counting song, where you use your hands to show the foods being packed in, matching the lyrics.
The foods placed in the lunchbox sound like the numbers, so you also fold your fingers to show how many items go in.
As times change, the contents of lunchboxes change too, so it’s fun to adjust the lyrics and adapt the fingerplay accordingly! Even babies who can’t eat many foods yet can sing and play along while looking forward to the day they can enjoy their lunchboxes.
Hand games toddlers and babies can do. Popular hand game songs in childcare (11–20)
Under the big chestnut tree
Under the big tree where delicious chestnuts have ripened.
The song that encourages everyone to play energetically beneath it is “Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree.” Based on an English folk tune, it was often sung among American Boy Scouts.
You use big arm movements to represent the large tree in time with the lyrics.
Then you point to a friend you want to play with and to yourself, and cross your hands in front of your chest.
Finally, you spread your arms wide again to show the big tree and finish.
It’s also fun to make parody versions not only with chestnut trees but with cherry trees, palm trees, and all sorts of others! You can freely change the hand motions to match, which makes it even more interesting.
Knock, knock, knock, knock, Grandpa with the beard
The hand-clapping song “Ton ton ton ton Hige Jiisan” features all kinds of characters, like a bearded grandpa and a person wearing glasses.
Make fists with both hands and, keeping the rhythm, alternately stack them up and down.
After that, match the character that appears: bring your hands under your chin to make a beard, or shape your hands like tubes and place them over your eyes like glasses.
At the end, following the lyrics, place both hands on your knees to finish.
You can also change the final part to other spots, like on top of your head or on your bottom! It’s a fun hand-play song where you can transform into different people while keeping the beat!
Vegetable Song
This fingerplay song, featuring various vegetables like tomatoes and carrots, is called “Vegetable Song.” It’s a fun piece with sound-play elements that let you enjoy the sounds that branch off from the vegetables’ names.
You clap to certain sounds, strike a ninja pose, pretend to cry—each vegetable is expressed with a different movement to match its sound.
It’s also fun to find vegetables not mentioned in the song and enjoy the same kind of sound play and hand motions with them! Hopefully even kids who don’t like vegetables will learn to love them through this song.
Panda, rabbit, koala
“Panda, Bunny, Koala” features three animals beloved even by very young children: a panda, a rabbit, and a koala.
You call these three animals, who are over there in the distance, by saying “Come over here!” and use your hands to beckon them while also representing each animal’s distinctive traits.
It works like a call-and-response, so it’s great for moms and dads to do first and then have the babies imitate them! Even if the babies end up making different movements, seeing mom and dad express various things with their hands while singing will naturally get their bodies moving too.