Lovely Halloween

Halloween boosts excitement in childcare! A collection of ideas to liven things up with fingerplay activities

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

Halloween season is something both kids and adults look forward to! Why not enjoy Halloween together with the children at nursery school or kindergarten? If you give your usual fingerplay and rock-paper-scissors a slightly spooky, fun Halloween twist, you can create special memories.

With fingerplay themed around ghosts, pumpkins, and witches, let the children’s imaginations flourish while you enjoy the seasonal festivities.

Here, we introduce recommended fingerplay activities perfect for celebrating Halloween.

Halloween brings excitement to childcare! A collection of hand-play ideas to liven things up (1–10)

Gluttonous Little Ghost (Halloween Ver.)

We did the finger-play song “Kuishinbo Obake – Halloween version” [Nursery Rhymes & Finger Plays] HELLOWEEN.

Gluttonous Little Ghost (Halloween Ver.)

Let’s do a hand-play activity with the song “The Gluttonous Ghost,” well-known from panel theater! In the middle of the night, the ghost goes around eating all sorts of things.

You use your hands to represent what it’s eating, forming the outline of each food, so kids naturally learn the shapes.

Since it’s Halloween, you could change the foods in the lyrics to snacks that children love.

How about that sweet, brown treat, or a candy that makes you happy while you lick it? Feel free to make your own arrangement!

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Monster train choo-choo

[Playable from age 1] Monster Train Choo-Choo / Tsubasa Suzuki & Sho Fukuda

Monster train choo-choo

Let’s play the fingerplay song “Monster Train,” which features all sorts of monsters and really boosts the Halloween mood! The melody has an unsettling feel, setting the stage as if monsters might appear at any moment.

Dracula, a dragon, Frankenstein, and a fairy all board the Monster Train.

The sound effects change with each monster, and you can enjoy it by changing your hand and body movements to match.

Try expressing the fairy with fluttery movements and Frankenstein with heavy, stomping steps—use your whole body!

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From the woods

Halloween fingerplay “From Within the Forest” with lyrics

From the woods

The fingerplay song “From the Woods” is full of fun wordplay.

An unexpected ghost suddenly leaps out from the woods; after the ghost comes a head monk, and after the monk comes a tofu seller—then more and more people, things, even cars pop out in succession.

With its unpredictable twists, it’s a fingerplay song that makes you excited to ask, “What’s next?” The lyrics vary by region and generation, so why not go bold and enjoy your own original version—say, weaving in Halloween staples like black cats and mummies?

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Halloween gets childcare buzzing! A collection of hand-play activity ideas (11–20)

[Hand Play] Pumpkin, Nankin, Pumpkin

[September October November Autumn Fingerplay] Pumpkin・Nankin・Pumpkin (Must Read) Tips and variations for use in childcare are listed in the description below ↓ Lyrics/Composition: Boku to Kimi.

[Hand Play] Pumpkin, Nankin, Pumpkin

Sweet and delicious pumpkin that comes into season in autumn.

This time, it’s a hand-play activity themed around the different names for pumpkin.

Children can learn three ways to say it—kabocha, nankin, and pumpkin—and even encounter names of dishes made with pumpkin, making it great for food education too.

The hand motions are simple, and the “cha-cha-cha” rhythm lifts the mood, so it’s easy for little kids to join in.

Give it a try together during Halloween season, when you see pumpkins more often!

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Pumpkin soup

[Halloween Fingerplay Song] Pumpkin Soup / Recommended for Autumn

Pumpkin soup

When you think of Halloween, you think of pumpkins—kabocha, right? This “Pumpkin Soup” is a perfect Halloween fingerplay where teachers and preschoolers can enjoy interacting.

You’ll chop ingredients, stir the soup, and season it with spices.

Follow the teacher’s instructions to do all kinds of movements.

Once you get the hang of it, more actions are added and the pace speeds up, so try to keep up! With everyone helping out, let’s work together to finish our pumpkin soup!

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Halloween Ghost Party

Halloween Ghost Party

Halloween Ghost Party

This is a fun, ghost-themed hand play that’s perfect for the Halloween season.

It progresses like choreography set to music, with light, rhythmic movements being the key.

Ghosts appear one by one throughout the song, and their characteristics are expressed through body movements.

It’s enjoyable just to recreate the movements, but adding vocalizations while portraying the ghosts makes it even more fun.

You can do it while seated, so it’s an easy activity anyone can enjoy.

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Hallo-hallo! Halloween☆

[Finger Play] Hello, Hello! Halloween☆ | Nursery Teachers, Daycare, Kindergarten | A Hand-Clapping/Finger-Play Song That’s Perfect for Introducing Events and Getting Everyone Excited

Hallo-hallo! Halloween☆

This is a hand-play activity featuring lots of characters that liven up Halloween.

Start by clapping next to your face, then use your hands to act out the characters that appear in the lyrics.

Casting spells, letting out a roar—it’s super cute and lots of fun.

Once you get the hang of it, try speeding it up to make it even more exciting.

At a Halloween party, if there are kids dressed up as the characters in the song, you could feature them! They’ll likely get really into it, and they’ll be happy to fully become their character.

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