[Hand Play] Popular with kids! A collection of trendy hand-play songs and nostalgic traditional children’s songs
Hand-play songs that you can sing and play are hugely popular with children, aren’t they?
As times change, lots of new hand-play songs have appeared, and through these songs you can really feel children’s interests and curiosity.
Trendy songs are fun, but we also want to cherish the traditional warabe-uta that have been sung for generations.
Their melodies are warm, the back-and-forth of the words is amusing, and the fact that you can sing them without a piano is also very appealing.
This time, we’ll introduce plenty of hand-play songs that are favorites with kids!
From trending hits popular in childcare settings to traditional warabe-uta, we’ve got a full lineup of hand-play games that will bring smiles to children’s faces.
Be sure to join in and play along!
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[Hand Play] Popular with Kids! Trendy Hand-Play Songs & Nostalgic Traditional Nursery Rhymes (31–40)
chacha jar
This is a hand-play song themed on “Chacha-tsubo,” a nursery rhyme beloved in daycare centers and kindergartens.
You make poses with a fist and an open hand, then alternately open your hands and stack them.
The unique lyrics—“Since the tea jar has no lid, let’s take the bottom off and use it as a lid!”—are amusing, too.
Once you get used to it, try speeding it up or moving your hands while singing.
It’s easy and fun, takes about 30 seconds to play, and is very approachable for children.
It also helps develop fine motor skills and deepens communication among kids, so give this hand-play a try!
Mickey Mouse March
This is a hand-play song that uses the theme song loved by children all over the world, “Mickey Mouse March.” Set to the melody of “Mickey Mouse March,” various Disney characters appear based on numbers from 1 to 5 made with your fingers.
Using both hands to make shapes like 1 or 2, you represent distinctive features of characters such as Pinocchio and Dumbo.
And of course, Mickey makes an appearance at the end! Through the song, become friends with many Disney characters.
Ten thousand feet in the Alps
Back in kindergarten and elementary school, hand-clapping songs you could play in short free moments were a popular pastime.
Especially girls seemed to play them a lot, don’t you think? “Alps Ichiman-jaku” was one of the most iconic of these.
The hand motions are simple enough that even little kids can enjoy them, but we used to raise the difficulty by changing the speed and challenging ourselves.
If you go too fast, your hands get all tangled up, you know?
What shall we make with rock, scissors, paper?
Using the rock-paper-scissors hand shapes—rock, scissors, and paper—you can create all kinds of things with both hands.
It’s called “What Can We Make with Rock, Scissors, Paper?” Make one of the shapes—rock, scissors, or paper—with your right hand and another with your left.
Then combine the two shapes to make something appear.
For example, if you make a rock with one hand and a paper with the other, and place the paper on top of the rock, you get a helicopter! There are many other things you can make, so try thinking of your own originals beyond the ones mentioned in the song.
Crocodile family
A beloved, heartwarming piece is “The Crocodile Family.” It’s a hand-play song about the daily life of a crocodile family.
With lots of comical expressions, it’s something you can enjoy together in a lively way.
Plus, the choreography uses the whole upper body, so it doubles as light exercise.
When you portray the adult crocodile, use your whole arm as the jaw.
For the baby crocodile, use just your fingers.
It also includes swimming motions, which might spark kids’ interest in the pool.
One-bridge tickle-tickle
This is the hand-play song “Ippon-bashi Kocho-kocho,” where you pretend an arm is a narrow bridge and walk your fingers across it.
Some kids start twisting their bodies and bursting into laughter just from hearing the word “kocho-kocho” (tickle-tickle), right? In this song, you ask, “Is it okay?” before tickling them—do you think they’ll actually answer “Yes”? (Haha)
Nigiri Patchiri
It’s a hand game song using a handkerchief.
You scrunch the handkerchief up in your hand, sing the song, and at the end open it… and a chick or a lion pops out of your hand—just like that! Even the sounds of the words are fun, so small children can enjoy it too.
You can also change the animal part to various animals.
Also, it’s best to use a handkerchief made of fabric that naturally spreads open easily.
The Spinning Song
Ito Maki no Uta is a song that describes making tiny shoes using thread.
Try acting it out with your hands to match the lyrics—pulling the thread, hammering with a little mallet, and so on.
The part up to when the shoes are finished is well known, but there are additional lyrics in which the completed shoes are taken to the little people.
There are also versions with the same melody that describe sowing seeds, digging holes, and building a fire.
Feel free to add your own hand motions to match each set of lyrics and have fun!
Hand game ‘The Hill Where Mandarin Blossoms’
“Mikan no Hana Saku Oka” is cherished as one of Japan’s representative children’s songs.
Why not try a hand play activity themed on this warm, uplifting piece that encouraged Japan after the war? While singing lyrics that depict rich natural scenery, face each other and perform the hand play.
The choreography is distinctive for incorporating a variety of movements with both hands.
Move your hands calmly to the slow, three-beat rhythm.
Once you get used to it, it might be fun to gradually increase the speed of the hand play.
Try incorporating this song, which portrays relationships with loved ones, into childcare settings.
five melon breads
The hand game “Five Melon Breads,” derived from an English nursery rhyme, captivates children with its regular rhythm and playful actions.
The phrases that use the numbers from one to five, repeated many times, seem to naturally help children learn how to count.
Also, the frequently appearing melon bread carries its own storyline, allowing children to enjoy using their imaginations! By changing your tone of voice and exaggerating your gestures, you can have fun together with the children.
