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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[Sing along together!] A collection of nursery rhymes everyone knows (11–20)
Zebra SwirlSakushi: 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!
Calendar MarchSakushi: Ide Takao / Sakkyoku: Fukuda Wakako
A lively march bursting with seasonal scenery and events from January to December.
Created by Takao Ide and Wakako Fukuda, this piece makes you feel as if you’re taking a year-long trip just by singing it.
There’s a record of it being included in an NHK Publishing sheet music collection in September 1973, and it has long been loved through NHK children’s programs and more.
Its energetic marching rhythm will make you want to swing your arms and legs wide and start walking.
The lyrics for March, which evoke the arrival of spring, also appear, making it perfect for this season of preschool graduations and moving up to the next grade.
As a home or preschool activity, be sure to sing it with the children while moving your bodies together.
TulipSakushi: Kondo Miyako / Sakkyoku: Inoue Takeshi
Announcing the arrival of spring, this song overflows with warmth that gently embraces children’s hearts.
It tenderly depicts tulips in full bloom—red, white, yellow, and more—conveying a beautiful message that celebrates the diversity of flowers.
Written in 1931 by Miyako Kondo with music by Takeshi Inoue, this children’s song was crafted in clear, friendly language for kindergarteners.
How about singing it with your child while pointing to the tulips you find on a spring walk? The moment their eyes light up at the flowers’ beauty will surely become a cherished memory.
Close It, Open Itsakushisha fushou
In dazzlingly fresh May greenery, don’t you feel like getting active and playing with the kids? That’s when the perfect choice is that familiar hand-play song with the motions of opening and closing your hands.
Simple yet irresistibly engaging for children, its melody is actually said to have its roots in an opera by the French thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
In Japan, it became widely loved in its current form as a play song after being included in the May 1947 elementary school textbook First-Grade Music.
Its easy-to-remember rhythm and movements are also great for interacting with very young children who can’t speak yet.
How about trying it outdoors on a picnic, sitting face-to-face and playing together as parent and child?
KintaroSakushi: Ishihara Wasaburō / Sakkyoku: Tamura Torazō
This is a children’s song that depicts a sturdy boy wrestling a bear on Mount Ashigara.
Written by Wasaburō Ishihara and composed by Torazō Tamura, it was published in June 1900 in “Shōnen Shōka, First Edition, Upper Volume.” As a representative children’s song that sings about a folktale hero in words familiar to children, it remains beloved today.
The bold figure carrying a hatchet and practicing horse-riding is vividly expressed through a lively two-beat rhythm and spirited calls that make it easy to sing while moving the body.
Because it conveys strength and energy, it’s perfect for singing with children in childcare settings or at home who are starting to take an interest in animals and folktales.
Add handclaps and gestures while singing, and it’s sure to be even more exciting.
Picnic Marchsakushi: Ide Takao / sakkyoku: Koshibe Nobuyoshi
A lively, energetic march that makes you look forward to walks and picnics! This piece, created by the golden duo of lyricist Takao Ide and composer Nobuyoshi Koshibe, is a beloved classic from NHK’s puppet show “Nikoniko, Pun.” The lyrics gently speak to your own feet, turning simple walking time into a special adventure that sparks children’s imaginations.
When you hear the buoyant marching rhythm, it feels like you’re parading across a field with everyone, doesn’t it? It’s the perfect track for pre-outing background music or for parent-child playtime.
[Let’s Sing Together!] A Collection of Well-Known Children’s Songs (21–30)
Ho! Ho! Ho!Sakushi: Itō Akira / Sakkyoku: Koshibe Nobuyoshi
A piece marked by cheerful chants that make you want to join in without thinking.
The swaying, rocking rhythm is so much fun, isn’t it? This song has become a beloved staple of NHK’s “Okaasan to Issho,” with a recorded vocal version by Kurumi Kobato in August 1999.
It was also included on the album released in December of the same year, “NHK ‘Okaasan to Issho: 40 Years, 300 Songs.’” It’s a playful song that values the sound of the words more than their meaning.
Be sure to move your bodies together as a parent and child!