[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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[Children’s Day Hand-Play Songs] A Collection of Nursery Rhymes & Traditional Children’s Songs for Parents and Kids (41–50)
Story Finger
When you were a child, were you ever taught to give each finger a nickname—like the thumb as “Daddy finger” and the index finger as “Mommy finger”? This finger-play song called “Ohanashi Yubisan” does just that, using nicknames for each finger.
It goes through five parts, singing about each finger from the thumb to the pinky.
It’s a reliable hand-play song that also serves as an educational tune to help children remember the shapes and characteristics of each finger.
It could also be fun to paint faces on the fingers or dress them up and sing while you play!
[Hand-Play Songs for Children's Day] A Collection of Nursery Rhymes and Traditional Children's Songs for Parents and Kids to Enjoy (51–60)
Obento-bako no Uta
When it comes to hand-play songs, the first one that comes to mind is the ultimate classic: “Obentōbako no Uta” (The Bento Box Song).
With its rhythmic melody, more and more vegetables and fillings appear and get packed into the lunchbox, making you feel as if you’re actually cooking.
What’s fun about this song is that from the second round on, you can speed up the tempo and make the gestures smaller for “a little person’s bento,” or do the opposite for “an elephant’s bento box,” and enjoy many variations! Get creative and try making your own original bento box version!
gluttonous gorilla
Here’s a lively hand-play song with a sense of excitement that the title “The Gluttonous Gorilla” alone makes you look forward to.
The song is set up like a little story: a hungry gorilla finds lots of foods, peels them, and eats them.
Starting with the familiar banana and even a sour lemon, the gorilla’s reactions are a highlight.
In the end, that vegetable makes an appearance too, leading to a surprising turn—sure to grab the kids’ attention and get them thoroughly engaged!
hair play
This hand game song has the curious title “Keno Asobi,” which literally means “hair play.” Here, “ke” refers to hair, like the hair on your head.
Using your fingers to show the numbers from 1 to 5, you use them to represent different kinds of hair.
For example, holding up one finger on each hand to make “1” becomes eyebrows, and using “4” turns into false eyelashes.
The lyrics even feature a routine by that famous comedian and a visit from that jolly man who comes at Christmas! It’s a very unique hand game song that focuses on “hair.”
Humpback Grandpa
This is a hand-play song where you move your fists up and down to a lively rhythm.
As you say the names of unique characters like Knobby Grandpa, Bearded Grandpa, and the Tengu, you stack your hands together.
The part that expresses sadness unfolds at a relaxed tempo, while the part that expresses a happy feeling becomes up-tempo, letting you try a wide range of hand movements.
It’s also a song where you can enjoy phrases that highlight each character’s traits.
Give this hand-play song a try and sing and dance together as a parent and child!
Gonbe-san’s Baby
Gonbe-san’s Baby was created based on an American folk song.
It’s a song featuring a character named Gonbe-san—who covers his head with a tenugui and ties it under his chin—and a baby.
It depicts a scene where the baby catches a cold, and you use your hands to show actions like holding the baby and having a bright idea.
You can enjoy a unique move where, in a fluster, you end up putting a cold compress on yourself by mistake.
Once you’re used to it, try picking up the tempo.
Give this hand play a try and make the most of this familiar melody that everyone has heard at least once.
Choki-choki Dance
This “Choki Choki Dance,” as the name suggests, is a simple hand-play song that makes you want to dance and have fun.
In the song, you make a “choki” (scissor/peace sign) and do gestures and poses.
The energy is high, and there aren’t any particularly difficult parts, so anyone can jump in and enjoy it easily.
With joyful expressions like “Yay!” and “Peace,” it gets more and more fun as you dance.
It’s a lively hand-play song that will bring smiles, and I hope teachers and parents will sing it happily with the children!