[Children’s Day Hand-Play Songs] A Collection of Nursery Rhymes & Traditional Children’s Songs for Parents and Kids to Enjoy Together

Ochara-ka-hoi

[Hand game] Ocharaka Hoi ♪ <with gestures>

This is a hand-clapping song that incorporates rock-paper-scissors.

It starts with a rhythmic chant, you clap your hands to a lively beat, and finish with a showdown—that’s the basic rule.

Changing facial expressions and poses depending on whether you win or lose helps develop children’s judgment and quick reflexes.

Hand-clapping songs have a long history; records appear in the 1832 text “Owari Children’s Songs Collection,” showing how long they’ve been loved in Japan.

Once you get used to it, gradually speed up the tempo and enjoy a thrilling match together as parent and child.

The Clock Song

[Song] "The Clock Song" [Takashi’s Hand Play / Children’s Song] Japanese Children’s Song, Finger Play Songs

This is a beloved children’s song that charmingly expresses the movement of a clock’s hands with a cute rhythm.

It spread nationwide after being broadcast on NHK Radio’s “Uta no Obasan,” and has been included in numerous works, such as the album “Minna de Eranda Kodomo no Uta Best 100,” released in September 2018.

The song features sounds that mimic the ticking of the advancing hands, and depicts the short hand and the long hand meeting and exchanging greetings.

You can also turn it into a physical play activity—sway your fingers left and right to the rhythm, or have a parent and child pretend to be the small and large hands and greet each other.

Knock, knock, knock, knock, Grandpa with the beard

♪ Ton Ton Ton Ton Hige Jiisan (CD Version) <With Choreography> [CD & DVD On Sale Now 🌟]

This is a hand-play song where you make fists with both hands and clap them alternately, using facial features to portray characters.

The lyrics and movements are linked—for example, placing your hand on your chin to make a beard or showing a bump on the cheek.

Since August 1978, it has become widely established through childcare settings and publications, and it is now a staple included in many nursery rhyme collections and educational DVDs.

It is also frequently featured at parent–child events and in childcare videos.

Please enjoy this piece, which is easy for children who are just beginning to learn words to join in!

What will you be when you grow up?

[Children’s Song] What Will You Be When You Grow Up / Daisuke Yokoyama

Are you familiar with the classic fingerplay song that’s a staple in preschools and kindergartens? Its melody is said to come from the American folk song “Little Cabin in the Wood,” and in Japan it has taken root as a play song where children count off their future dreams.

The gestures of pretending to be a doctor or a cake shop owner make for a delightfully fun scene that nurtures children’s imagination.

Not tied to any particular singer’s repertoire, this piece has been passed down by many performers.

It has been cherished in educational settings for a long time, even being included in a Yamaha sheet music collection released in March 2023.

Daisuke Yokoyama has also sung it, and it remains a beloved classic across generations.

On Children’s Day, why not use this song as a springboard to talk with your child about dreams for the future?

Caro’s eyeball

Nursery rhyme “Kyāro no Medama” (Frog’s Eyeball) #Japanese traditional kids’ game

In dazzlingly green May, you can hear frogs calling from the rice paddies, can’t you? The perfect season to play this children’s song, whose rhythmic chants are such fun.

Its startling theme is cauterizing a frog’s eyeballs with moxa, but set to a lively beat it somehow turns into a delightfully playful song! Some say the sound of the words in the latter half may be connected to a song that was popular in the Meiji era.

It’s interesting to sing it while feeling a bit of history.

How to play is up to you—become a frog and jump, sit on an adult’s knee and bounce, and more.

Even on rainy days, moving your body indoors will lift your spirits! Imagine the frogs hopping, and raise your voices together as a parent and child to get excited.

yomogi-jōbu no

Spring children's song / For the April–May seasonal festivals: [Yomogi-Jobu no]. I'd like to play it to coincide with the festival.

When it comes to essential plants for Boys’ Day (Tango no Sekku), mugwort and iris come to mind—both believed to ward off evil with their strong fragrance.

Featuring these medicinal herbs, this piece is a seasonal children’s song that wishes for kids’ health and safety.

It’s characterized by a playful action of lightly tapping the backside with a bundled bunch of leaves, taking turns in rhythm—that’s the key! It’s filled with traditional wisdom of praying for protection and health through play.

The recording sung by Emiko Kobayashi is included on the album “Warabeuta de Asobō! Minna no Asobiuta,” released in December 2004, and it was also released in a digital version in August 2022.

It’s a short track of about 26 seconds, but try incorporating it into a moment of moving your bodies and laughing together as a parent and child, while wishing for healthy growth!

Which child is a good child?

May children’s song “Which child is the good child”

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.