Let's sing together! A collection of nursery rhymes everyone knows
Nursery songs that many people have sung in day-care centers, kindergartens, and schools.
These children’s songs, passed down through generations, are still sung today in childcare settings, schools, and even senior facilities.
That said, fewer people are singing them nowadays, and some children can be found who don’t know nursery songs at all.
In this article, we’ll introduce nursery songs that everyone—young and old—will recognize.
If you’re not very familiar with nursery songs, start by listening to the ones we introduce here.
Try singing nursery songs together with your child, your friends, or your grandparents, and have fun!
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[Let's Sing Together!] A Collection of Nursery Rhymes Everyone Knows (1–10)
Zebra SwirlNEW!Sakushi: Endou Kouzou / Sakkyoku: Inui Hiroki
With the balmy weather in May, it’s the perfect season for a fun trip to the zoo! A great recommendation for times like these is a delightful hand-play song themed around zebra stripes.
Written by Kozo Endo and composed by Hiroki Inui, this piece is full of unique wordplay in which you whirl and peel off the zebra’s stripes and transform it into another animal.
The song began being featured around 1982 on NHK’s children’s program “Okaasan to Issho,” and it was also included on a CD released in March 2000, making it a long-loved favorite across generations.
It’s great fun to mimic the motions of taking off and putting on the stripes to the lively rhythm! Whether on the bus ride to the zoo or during time at home, singing it together as a parent and child and laughing yourselves silly could be just the thing!
soap bubbleSakushi: Noguchi Ujō / Sakkyoku: Nakayama Shinpei
Here’s a beloved children’s song that never fails to capture kids’ hearts! You can almost picture soap bubbles floating gently up into the sky in time with the melody.
This classic was created through the collaboration of Ujo Noguchi and Shinpei Nakayama, with the poem published in 1922.
The lyrics convey the beauty and fragility of fleeting life.
It’s a wonderful song for teaching children the value of life through the simple play of blowing bubbles.
It’s perfect not only for singing in nurseries and kindergartens, but also for enjoying together as a family.
Cherished across generations, this piece brings warm, heartwarming moments.
butterflySakushi: Nomura Akio / Sakkyoku: Supein min’yō
As a spring children’s song, “Butterflies” is one you just can’t leave out—virtually everyone knows it.
Like many nursery rhymes, it’s actually a foreign song that later received Japanese lyrics.
The original is the German song “Little Hans,” which depicts a young boy setting out on a journey.
While the first verse is the most famous, there are actually four verses: sparrows appear in the second, dragonflies in the third, and swallows in the fourth.
It’s the kind of tune that makes you feel like spring the moment you hum it.
[Sing along together!] A collection of nursery rhymes everyone knows (11–20)
Sacchansakushi: sakata hiroo / sakkyoku: onaka megumi
A masterpiece by the great composer Megumi Ohnaka, who also composed children’s songs like “Red Dragonfly” and “The Policeman Dog.” “Sacchan” was written with lyricist Mr.
Sakata’s memorable image of a transfer student in mind.
The lyrics, penned with a gentle gaze, have a somewhat wistful past-tense tone—you can almost read a hint of first love in them.
Sung by artists such as Akiko Yano and Yuzo Gucci with the Guccies, the song has been cherished continuously since its debut in 1959.
It also sounds fun at birthday parties to swap out Sacchan’s name for someone else’s while singing.
Mountain Musicianssakushi: mizuta shisen / sakkyoku: doitsu min’yō
The children’s song “Yama no Ongakuka” (Mountain Musicians) is delightful for its pairings of animals and instruments—like a squirrel playing the violin and a mountain rabbit playing the piano.
It’s also known in translation as “Minna Ongakuka” (“Everyone’s a Musician”).
The original is a German song with lyrics about being able to play instruments such as the timpani, bassoon, and triangle.
In that sense, the nursery rhyme “Yama no Ongakuka” follows the same style.
The many animal characters are adorable, and the song has been adapted into picture books and stage plays, making it a beloved children’s song that goes beyond just singing.
There are many recordings—by the Dark Ducks and others—so feel free to choose one that suits your needs.
The Bear of the ForestSakushi: Baba Yoshihiro / Sakkyoku: Amerika min’yō
Do you know scout songs? They’re the songs everyone sings together during Boy Scout and Girl Scout activities.
The original song for this one, “The Other Day, I Met a Bear,” was one such scout song as well.
When it was translated into Japanese and began to be sung in Japan, its title was “Kind Mr.
Bear.” In 1972, when it was featured on NHK’s “Minna no Uta,” it seems to have become the “Mori no Kuma-san” we know today.
It’s surprisingly recent, isn’t it? Up through the chorus, the lyrics are sung in a round, so I’d love for everyone to sing it together when a big group gets together!
Tanuki of Fist Mountainsakushi sakkyoku: fushō
Genkotsuyama no Tanuki-san is a traditional children’s song loved by a wide range of ages.
It was created around everyday experiences everyone can relate to, like being held and falling asleep.
Learn the cute choreography—such as the motions of drinking and gestures of sleeping—and try playing along.
It’s also fun to add your own variations at the end of the chorus, like striking a pose or playing rock-paper-scissors.
With phrases that depict a parent–child relationship and a cheerful melody, it’s a song that resonates with joy.
Give it a try together with your child.
