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.
[Hand Games] Popular with Kids! Trendy Hand-Play Songs & Nostalgic Traditional Children's Songs Collection (21–30)
Pop the egg
[Hand Play Song] Pop the Egg | HAPIKU Channel
Eggs are a nutritious ingredient you can enjoy as they are, or cooked by frying or boiling.
Some people may remember watching their mothers skillfully crack eggs while cooking and feeling, as a child, that they wanted to try it too.
The song “Tamago wo Bon!” (Pop Goes the Egg!) is a fun, lively hand-play tune that parents and children can enjoy together.
It could be a great idea to ask children what dishes could be made after cracking the egg, without giving a ‘correct’ answer, and let them respond freely.
And for kids who guess well, be sure to actually make them treats like tamagoyaki or pancakes!
Fingerplay song, children's folk song “Takenoko Medashita”
It’s a hand game song that combines rock-paper-scissors with singing.
As the lyrics progress, you make the shapes for paper, scissors, and rock, and finish with a round of rock-paper-scissors! The rhythm is lively, so even children who haven’t learned rock-paper-scissors yet or can’t form the hand shapes should still enjoy it.
Because it’s more than just moving your hands—it has a game-like quality—it might really capture their attention.
Tea Picking from “The Newest and Most Enjoyable Recreation Games”
The Japanese children’s song “Chatsumi” (“Tea Picking”) has an unknown lyricist and composer.
Its original title is “Cha-tsumi.” The song is also well known as a hand-clapping game and is still widely loved across generations today.
To play, two people face each other and, in time with the music, tap their shoulders, hips, elbows, and so on, then clap hands together at set moments.
The movements are simple, so even young children can enjoy it.
Eighty-eight nights, with summer drawing near Fresh young leaves flourish across fields and mountains. Isn't that a tea picker you see over there? A sedge hat with a crimson sash
These days of continued fine weather Plucking peacefully, I sing. Pluck it, pluck it—pluck it you must. If you don’t pluck it, it won’t become Japanese tea.
Mr. Raccoon Dog of Genkotsu Mountain (with gestures)
“Genkotsuyama no Tanukisan” is a song about a baby raccoon dog living on a mountain called Genkotsuyama.
The baby tanuki drinks milk from its mom, gets cuddled, and falls asleep.
The hand game is easy—you just move your hands as the lyrics say! At the end of the song, you play rock-paper-scissors, so try playing it with friends, Dad, or Mom.
Actually, the lyrics continue even after the rock-paper-scissors part.
Alps Ichiman-jaku [with vocals] – children's song and hand-clapping game
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?
Ten thousand feet in the Alps, up on the little peak, let’s dance the alpine dance—come on, let’s dance! <2> The dream I had yesterday — it was a big-and-small kind of dream. A flea, wearing a backpack, was climbing Mount Fuji. When I ask the child fishing for char which mountain path to take, he points with his rod beyond the clouds. If you take a nap in a flower field, butterflies will fly over and give you a kiss. Snowfields gleam—where are the ptarmigans? Edelweiss blooms here and there. Pitch a tent ten thousand shaku high, and your hand can reach the stars’ lamps. At the campsite, a cuckoo calls, and morning comes out of the mist. I long to dye that girl’s sleeves with a flower pattern from a field of blossoms. Even butterflies are in pairs—so why am I the only one all alone? Everything progressed smoothly, and just as we were about to kiss, I woke up. The mountain echo comes back, but my love letter doesn’t return. At the campfire, feeling sentimental, I dream of that cute girl. If I take a nap in the flower field, I dream of that cute girl. In my dreams I see you; my sleep is shallow. If I truly love you, I can’t sleep. Higher than the clouds, on this peak—I'm the only king of the mountain. When I loop the rope over Chin-ne’s head and have him puff on the pipe, my heart surges. 17. On the Terrace of Swords, when the hammer swings, the haken sings into the blue sky. Even if the mountains are desolate, my heart is always a heaven where dreams exist. Peaks like Yarigatake and Hotaka are hidden from view; it’s where they can’t be seen that they are truly Yarigatake and Hotaka. Why is the rocky surface so cold to one who risks their life for love? Carrying our rope, we head for the mountains of Hotaka; tomorrow will be a test of a man's nerve. In the gullies of Hotaka, handling the rope, when I sing a yodel, clouds well up. Climb Nishi-Hotaka and Oku-Hotaka beckons—the hand that invites is the Jandarm. 24: The spear is the son-in-law, Hotaka is the bride, and in between, Rinki is Mount Yake. Posting Mt. Yari and Mt. Hotaka as sentries, I pick flowers in the alpine meadow. Setting the spear and Hotaka as sentinels, I shoot a pheasant aiming toward Kashima. If with the spearhead I shoot the little pheasant, I’ll be parted in tears from Takase and Azusa. Lingering reluctance—Taisho Pond; once more I look back at Mt. Hotaka. Let’s meet in good health again next year, around the time when the cherry blossoms bloom in the mountains.
