![[Hand Play] Popular with kids! A collection of trendy hand-play songs and nostalgic traditional children’s songs](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/cbL6RfJDiXI/maxresdefault.webp)
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 Games] Popular with Kids! Trendy Hand-Play Songs & Nostalgic Traditional Children’s Songs (1–10)
the temple’s head monk
The temple monk—this hand game song is well-known, isn’t it? It uses hand movements to show the monk sowing pumpkin seeds and how they grow.
At the end, you play rock-paper-scissors.
The lyrics vary by region and generation, and there are many arranged versions; some take lots of detours while depicting the seeds’ growth process.
Vegetable Song
“The Vegetable Song” is full of vegetable names.
It repeats parts of the names and distinctive features of the vegetables to make a fingerplay song.
It seems like kids can have fun singing while learning the names of vegetables.
The steady, simple rhythm makes it easy for little children to sing and play along.
You could probably adapt it to play with animal names or other foods, too.
Denderaryuba
It’s a famous children’s song handed down in Nagasaki Prefecture.
Many people outside Nagasaki may also have learned it in kindergarten or elementary school.
The dialect heard in the lyrics leaves a strong impression and feels a bit like wordplay.
Even children who don’t yet understand words can enjoy it, and those who can speak well can have fun with it like a tongue twister! It’s even more enjoyable when combined with hand motions.
Tengu fanwarabeuta
It’s a fun hand-play song inspired by the traditional Japanese yokai Tengu and a paper fan.
You sing while mimicking the flapping motion of fanning with a round uchiwa, which makes it perfect for fostering children’s imagination and expressive skills.
The lyrics are simple and easy to remember, and the rhythm is lively, so it’s enjoyable to repeat.
It’s also easy to incorporate into activities at kindergartens and nursery schools.
This song is included in “Asobi Uta 100” and is widely used in educational settings.
Singing and dancing together with your child will create a wonderful time full of smiles.
fig carrot
“Ichijiku Ninjin” is a counting song that uses the names of foods and plants.
The lyrics start with figs (ichijiku) and go on to list items like carrots (ninjin) whose names contain numbers.
The choreography matches the lyrics by raising fingers to show the numbers, and numbers 5 and above are shown with both hands.
By the way, the foods and plants that appear in this counting song actually vary by region, so some people may be more familiar with versions that include shiso (perilla) or tōgarashi (chili pepper).
Knock knock knock knock, Grandpa with a beard
It’s a classic, well-known hand game song that moms and dads, as well as grandparents, are familiar with.
You make both hands into fists and tap them together, using your clenched hands to represent “Bearded Old Man,” “Bumpy Old Man,” “Tengu,” and “Glasses.” At the end, you open your hands into palms facing up and place them on your knees.
You can also change it up by placing them somewhere other than your knees.
Inside-out pots!
It’s a children’s song played while holding hands.
In time with the song, you do a half turn without letting go, ending up back-to-back.
Then, again to the song, you return to the original position.
It works well with a large group, too.
The melody is very similar to “Kagome Kagome.” It’s said that “Kagome Kagome” and “Nabe Nabe Soko Nuke” may have been created from the same original song.
Zuizui Zukkorobashi
Many hand-play songs are for two people, but Zuizui Zukkorobashi is a hand-play song that can be played by two or more.
This song describes presenting tea to a shogun in the Edo period.
One person extends their index finger, while the others make tube shapes with both hands.
The finger is inserted into each “tube” in turn, and when the song ends, the hand that has the finger in it is pulled away.
The person who can pull away the fastest wins.
Which child is a good child?NEW!warabeuta
When children get together to play, do you ever wonder how to decide who’s “it” or who goes next? That’s exactly when this traditional children’s rhyme comes in handy.
You point to each child in turn in time with the rhythm, and the one chosen at the end becomes the next role—or gets a big hug—so everyone can enjoy both the thrill and the comfort it brings! It was also included on the album “NHK Nihongo de Asobo: Warabe-uta,” released in February 2007, and became widely known after being featured in segments of an educational TV program.
In dazzlingly green May, try forming a circle at a park on your walk or indoors, and enjoy the pleasant rhythm together with friends or as a parent and child.
Tokyo-to Nihonbashi
This is a nursery rhyme where you change the shape and movements of your hands to match the lyrics.
Because you can play while directly touching the other person’s hands, they might enjoy it even more than just singing.
At the end of the song, tickle them a lot and make them laugh! It’s great for parents and children, and it would be fun to try with friends, too.
It’s also fine for little ones who don’t understand words yet.