[Children’s Day Hand-Play Songs] A Collection of Nursery Rhymes & Traditional Children’s Songs for Parents and Kids to Enjoy Together
May 5th is Tango no Sekku—Children’s Day, a holiday celebrating children’s healthy growth! Many families decorate with carp streamers and samurai dolls and enjoy a festive meal.
In this article, we’ve gathered some recommended hand-play songs perfect for Children’s Day.
How about trying them with your family after the celebration? These are all ideal for kids in nursery school and kindergarten, so have fun adding Children’s Day–themed twists as you play!
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[Hand Play Songs for Children's Day] A Collection of Nursery Rhymes & Traditional Children's Songs to Enjoy with Parent and Child (71–80)
Koi koi koinobori
Koi Koi Koinobori is a playful activity that compares gently swaying carp streamers to a family.
Set to a bright, cheerful melody, it introduces the father, mother, and children in turn.
After the wind-blowing gesture, try expressing the carp streamers swimming.
It’s also fun to add choreography that reflects family traits, like showing off your arm muscles or placing your hands on your face.
In the part where you count 3, 2, 1, parents and children should count out loud together with energy.
Give this hand-play activity a try, themed around koinobori—carp streamers that symbolize Children’s Day.
Zuizui Zukkorobashi
This is a hand-play song themed on Zui Zui Zukkorobashi, known as a traditional children’s song.
Make fists with both hands and hold them out in front, leaving a hole.
Everyone forms a circle, and a leader moves their finger while singing.
When the song ends, the person whose hand the finger is touching becomes the next leader.
Once you get used to it, try speeding up the tempo—it’s recommended.
It’s a hand-play game where the excitement comes from not knowing where the song will end.
Try playing with different lyric versions, such as the “tea jar” one.
all over each other; stuck together; clingy
Hittsuki Mottsuki is a song created by Keropons, a musical duo that delivers songs and exercises for children.
The theme is a Hiroshima dialect word that means “to stick together and not come apart.” A bright melody rides on a lively ukulele performance.
Starting with choreography where you open both hands wide and move them side to side, you can enjoy unique moves like your heads ending up stuck together.
The trick is to clearly show the expression of “We’re stuck!” Try sticking not only your heads but also your hands, backs, and other parts of your body to play in different ways.
mixed juice
The hand-play song “Mixed Juice” — how about this for children who are interested in cooking? It features lots of fruits, each paired with a gesture that matches a part of the face, making it very humorous.
By the time the song ends, you’ve made a mixed juice using those fruits in the lyrics, so it feels as if you’ve been cooking! Give cute and fun mixed-juice making a try!
In conclusion
We introduced a hand-play song related to the Boys’ Festival (Tango no Sekku). How about spending Children’s Day filled with smiles as the whole family enjoys the hand-play song together? The time you spend interacting while feeling your child’s growth will surely be etched in your hearts as a wonderful memory.