[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!

Playlist

[Children’s Day Hand-Play Songs] A Collection of Nursery Rhymes & Traditional Children’s Songs for Parents and Kids to Enjoy Together
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Horn, horn, hoooorn!		A fingerplay song that expresses corners with fingers
2	Zebra SwirlSakushi: Endou Kouzou / Sakkyoku: Inui Hiroki		A hand-clapping song about taking a zebra’s stripes off and turning it into another animal
3	five melon breads		A Fingerplay Song for Enjoying Shopping at the Bakery
4	Elephant and Spiderweb		A hand-clapping song where elephants play on a string
5	Close It, Open It		The origin of fingerplay songs is Rousseau’s operas in the 18th century.
6	Child of Abraham		A fun children's activity with fingerplay songs that involve full-body movement
7	Upward eyes, downward eyes		An old-fashioned play song where you move facial parts with your fingers
8	Ochara-ka-hoi		Developing decision-making skills through a rock-paper-scissors hand play song
9	The Clock Song		A beloved children's song that depicts clock hands
10	Knock, knock, knock, knock, Grandpa with the beard		Express characters using the face in a hand-play song
11	What will you be when you grow up?		Nurturing children's imagination through finger-play songs
12	Caro’s eyeball		A fun children’s song with a frog theme
13	yomogi-jōbu no		Children’s song games for Boys’ Day (Tango no Sekku)
14	Which child is a good child?		Choosing who’s “it” with a children’s song
15	skylark skylark		A children’s hand-clapping game/song themed around spring birds
16	Squeeze, squeeze, kashiwa mochi.Sakushi: Sakura Tomoko / Sakkyoku: Ozawa Tatsuyuki		Enjoying with children using the Kashiwa-mochi hand-play song
17	cherry		A hand-play song themed around cherries
18	A-I-U-E-O nigiriSakushi Sakkyoku: Shuu Saeko		Singing about the joy of making rice balls and the bonds of family
19	A caterpillar		Children fascinated by bugs in a springtime park
20	Get on the busSakushi sakkyoku: Taniguchi Kunihiro		The charm of a nursery rhyme that delights in the bus’s jostling
21	Carp streamer hand play song		Two kinds of hand-play songs with a Koinobori theme
22	Head, shoulders, knees, pong		Hand play songs for babies and parents to enjoy
23	Shopping at the bakery		Let's enjoy the baker's hand play song
24	Under the big chestnut tree		Enjoying gymnastics under the big chestnut tree
25	rolling egg		A song that expresses the growth from egg to chick to chicken through hand play.
26	Let’s pretend to be koinobori!		Let's express the movement of the carp streamers in a fun way.
27	Koinoborin		A hand-play song where you pretend to be a carp streamer
28	Animal Exercises 1-2-3Sakushi • Sakkyoku: Abe Naomi		A fun kids’ exercise song with animal movements
29	Banana Parent and ChildSakushi: Seki Kazuo / Sakkyoku: Fukuda Wakako		The song of a banana parent and child on a southern island, fun to sing.
30	Koi koi koinobori		A hand game that likens carp streamers to a family
31	Ipponbashi Nihonbashi		A nursery rhyme for fingerplay with numbers
32	carp streamer		Expressing the Koinobori song playfully with hand motions
33	carp streamer		With a tango-style fingerplay song, children can enjoyably learn words related to Children's Day.
34	Raise the carp streamers.		A hand-play song about pulling a koinobori (carp streamer)
35	A Piglet’s Stroll		A fingerplay song where a piglet transforms into animals in the city
36	The Curry Rice Song		Make curry rice with a hand play song
37	Crocodile family		Hand play song of a crocodile family
38	Let’s clap our hands		Clap-along songs have simple choreography and offer a high degree of freedom.
39	Let’s clap our hands		Clap Your Hands, a hand-play song for families to enjoy together
40	Bamboo Shoot ExercisesSakushi: Nakazawa Yoshihiro / Sakkyoku: Koshibe Nobuyoshi		Supporting children's growth through fun gymnastics
41	Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star		Introduction to the hand play for “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
42	The fish jumps.		A fun hand game where fish jump and stick together
43	Denden parent-and-child thumb		Alternate extending the thumb and little finger in a hand play song
44	If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands		“If You're Happy and You Know It,” popular among children
45	bento (boxed lunch)Sakushi: Amano Chou sakushi / Sakkyoku: Ichinomiya Michiko		A children's song that nurtures table manners and a spirit of gratitude
46	spool (of thread); winding thread; Itomaki (traditional toy spinning top), depending on context		Enjoying the Itomaki (Spool) nursery rhyme with hand play
47	It fell, it fell.		Ochita Ochita: A Nostalgic Hand-Clapping Song Game
48	the head monk at a temple		Speed up while playing rock-paper-scissors
49	Ogre’s Pants		Let's get stronger with the ogre's pants
50	Story Finger		An educational fingerplay song that plays with nicknames for fingers
51	Obento-bako no Uta		Obentōbako no Uta hand play song
52	gluttonous gorilla		Hand-play song of the gluttonous gorilla
53	hair play		A fingerplay song that expresses hair through finger movements
54	Humpback Grandpa		Character hand-play songs for parents and children to enjoy together
55	Gonbe-san’s Baby		A song about holding a baby with a tenugui (Japanese hand towel)
56	Choki-choki Dance		A fun hand-play song danced with a scissor pose
57	Knock knock knock, Anpanman		Play with the Anpanman hand-play song
58	Donguri Korokoro		Hand play song of Donguri Korokoro
59	It’s starting.		A Children’s Day fingerplay song that playfully expresses numbers
60	magic hand		Expressing animals and vehicles through fingerplay songs
61	Yakiimo goo-choki-pa		Introducing a hand play song about baked sweet potatoes
62	Vegetable Song		A hand-play song that makes it fun to memorize vegetable names through word sounds and puns.
63	Ten thousand feet in the Alps		A hand-clapping game sung in pairs
64	What shall we make with rock, scissors, paper?		A hand-play song that combines rock, scissors, and paper to imagine various things.
65	Playing bus (pretend bus play)		Enjoying with the family through a bus driver play song
66	Panda, Rabbit, Koala		The hand-play song “Panda, Rabbit, Koala”
67	Piglet-raccoon dog-fox-catSakushi sakkyoku: Yamamoto Naozumi		Let's have fun with Naosumi Yamamoto's hand-play nursery rhymes
68	To the Sun in the Palm of Your HandSakushi: Yanase Takashi / Sakkyoku: Izumi Taku		Lyrics by Takashi Yanase, a classic loved by many generations
69	Let’s draw a picture in the blue sky.Sakushi: Kazumi Kazuki / Sakkyoku: Hajime Kamishiba		The Appeal of Songs That Nurture Children's Dreams and Hopes
70	Song of a little birdsakushi: Yoda Jun’ichi / sakkyoku: Akutagawa Yasushi		An adorable nursery rhyme of a little bird calling out to its parent.
71	a big drumSakushi: Kobayashi Junichi / Sakkyoku: Nakada Yoshinao		A fun hand-play song with taiko rhythms
72	soap bubbleSakushi: Noguchi Ujō / Sakkyoku: Nakayama Shinpei		A beloved classic with a gentle melody is still cherished today
73	Playing bus (pretend bus play)Sakushi: Kayama Bi / Sakkyoku: Yuyama Akira		A cheerful song melody on the bus
74	Picnicdeguchi takashi		Takashi Deguchi’s Field Picnic Hand-Play Song
75	tea pickingbunkashō shōka		A masterpiece portraying Japan’s traditional culture and natural beauty
76	Tanuki of Fist Mountain		How to Play “Genkotsu-yama no Tanuki-san”
77	Zuizui Zukkorobashi		The hand-clapping song game “Zuizui Zukkorobashi”
78	all over each other; stuck together; clingy		A clapping-and-cuddling play song for children
79	mixed juice		Making mixed juice with fruit