[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, known as Children’s Day, a time to celebrate kids’ healthy growth!
Many families display carp streamers and samurai dolls and enjoy special meals.
In this article, we’ve gathered recommended fingerplay songs perfect for Children’s Day.
Why not try them together with your family after the celebration?
These fingerplays are ideal for children in daycare or kindergarten, so have fun adding Children’s Day–themed twists as you play!
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Children’s Day Hand-Play Songs: A Collection of Nursery Rhymes and Traditional Children’s Songs for Parents and Kids (21–30)
Head, shoulders, knees, pong
This is the hand-play song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Clap” for babies just a few months old to enjoy with their moms and dads.
Touch the head, shoulders, and knees in time with the rhythm of the song, and on the final “pon,” take your child’s hands and help them make a clapping motion.
In the second verse, you can have fun with facial parts like the ears and nose.
It’s an irresistibly cute hand-play song that’s sure to make moms smile when they get a reaction from their little one.
Under the big chestnut tree
“Under the Big Chestnut Tree” — Isn’t this a familiar song that many adults also loved as children? The lyrics are very simple and easy to understand, and the vivid scenery they evoke is part of its charm.
Another appeal is the choreography that lets you move your whole body freely, almost like an exercise routine.
Once everyone has gone through it once and gotten used to it, it can be fun to try singing it a little faster.
Use your whole body and enjoy it to the fullest!
Shopping at the bakery
“Shopping at the Bakery.” What’s fun about this hand-play song is the catchy rhythm where you clap on the “pan” (bread) in “panya-san” (bakery), and the choreography that riffs on the shapes and words of breads like “sandwich” and “melon pan.” All the breads that appear are ones you can actually see at a real bakery, so it’s perfect for helping small children get used to the words and become interested in eating bread.
Give it a try—tasty, fun, and friendly!
rolling egg
The hand-play song “Korokoro Tamago” is about a chick hatching from an egg and growing into a chicken.
When it’s an egg, you make an egg shape by clenching both hands into fists, then roll them around and gently stroke them in time with the lyrics.
When the chick hatches, you use your thumb and index finger to show a chick chirping.
Finally, when it grows into a chicken, you move both hands to flap like wings.
It’s a hand-play song that even very young children can enjoy while learning about a chick’s growth.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Hand play with a song everyone knows! Let’s introduce “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” It’s also one of the songs often sung as a lullaby.
How about incorporating it into your activities as a hand play this time? Imagine your palms as stars and express the sparkling, shining stars.
The choreography is easy to understand and doesn’t have any complex movements, so it seems enjoyable from infant to preschool classes.
Try adding “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to eurhythmics, morning meetings, or closing circles.
Close It, Open It
The children’s song “Let’s Clap Our Hands” — the great thing about this hand-play song is how easy it is to remember: each verse has just three moves—clapping hands, stamping feet, and expressing an emotion.
Clapping and stamping are fun and can be done right away, and there’s also lots of freedom to create your own expressions and gestures—like “smiling” in the first verse or “getting angry” in the second—depending on the performer.
It’s also a great recommendation for a child’s first hand-play activity before kindergarten!
The fish jumps.
A refreshing hand game! Let me share some ideas for “Sakana ga Hanete” (Fish Jumping).
When you think of summer, many people probably imagine watersides like rivers and the sea, right? This is a unique fish-themed hand game you’ll want to use before fish-related crafts or dances.
Before starting the game, it could be fun to ask the children how they would react if a fish suddenly jumped—boing!—out of the water.
In this playful activity, fish hop onto different parts of the body and stick there, then keep transforming one after another—such a unique hand game!