Popular hand games and hand game songs for toddlers and children! Full of ideas for childcare/early childhood education.
Having a rich repertoire of fingerplay songs keeps children from getting bored and gives adults a sense of ease.
You can use them in many ways—while preparing for the next activity, or as a calm introduction to help children listen attentively.
Above all, children love fingerplay songs with their variety of themes and rhythms.
Adults will surely feel soothed watching little ones smile and mimic the motions with their tiny hands.
Be sure to use this article to learn some new fingerplay songs!
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Popular Hand Games & Fingerplay Songs for Toddlers and Children! Lots of Ideas for Childcare (21–30)
New Year’s rice-cake pounding hand play
@soiflhoiku This is a hand game about making mochi for New Year’s.#Nursery schoolKindergarten TeacherAspiring childcare workerNursery teacher / Childcare worker#NurseryTeacherThingschild1 year old2 years oldNursery School Practicum#NurseryTeacherThingsHand gamesNew Year#MochitsukiPettan#MochitsukiNew Year hand gamesJanuary hand play#NewYearMochiPounding
♬ Everyday songs with a cute and slightly blurred atmosphere(1277086) – Sumochi
In Japan, pounding rice cakes (mochi) is a year-end tradition.
So how about introducing a hand-play activity themed around mochi pounding as a January game? Along with motions that knead and pound the mochi to the song, there’s a fun game element where you clap your hands at set positions—top, middle, and bottom.
At the end, you make kagami-mochi and everyone enjoys it together.
Kids who experienced it at the end of the year will likely say, “I know this!” and have fun, and even those who haven’t done mochi pounding may become interested through this hand-play song.
Grill the mochi
January is a month with many chances to eat mochi.
Kids may each have their favorite ways to enjoy it—soy sauce, kinako, anko, and more.
In this hand-play song, we have fun with hand motions themed around tasty ways to eat mochi.
You can pretend to grill the mochi, dip it in soy sauce, and even enjoy it as a bonding play activity with babies.
Beyond the methods mentioned in the lyrics, it could be fun to ask the children and try out various ideas together.
If you’re looking for a hand-play perfect for January, give this one a try.
Mochi Glasses & Mochi-Pounding Peta-peta-petan-ko
When making mochi, we use the onomatopoeic word “pettan,” don’t we? In this fingerplay song, you touch your thumb to each of your other fingers in time with that sound to act out pounding mochi.
And what you end up with isn’t a kagami-mochi, but… mochi glasses! They look like they’d really stick to your face, but it seems like a fun way to spark kids’ imaginations about what to make with mochi.
Moving your fingers precisely is trickier than it looks, so start slowly at first.
Once you get the hang of it, try speeding up for a challenge.
Fun for adults too! “Fluffy Snow”
This is a fingerplay song where you build a snowman and look for numbers hidden in the lyrics.
It doesn’t include every number from 1 to 9, but there are surprisingly many hidden ones—see how many you can find.
In this fingerplay, the snowman’s eyes are made with mandarins, the nose with a carrot, and the eyebrows with a cucumber.
It’s fun to imagine what the face will look like.
Asking “What would you use to make yours?” will likely get everyone excited.
When it snows, try making the snowman you imagined.
Cha-cha-cha of the Snowman
Here’s a hand-play song with a wintery theme of “snow” and “snowmen.” In this song, you first use both hands to show snow falling and piling up.
Then, you touch your fingertips together to make the round shape of a snowman, and finally, you rotate your clenched hands in front of your chest to show a dancing snowman.
It’s short, but it sparks children’s imaginations and teaches them the joy of playing in the snow.
If the part where you clap quickly three times is difficult, slow down the overall tempo and enjoy it at a comfortable speed.
Recommended for infants and toddlers! Interactive play with traditional nursery rhymes
This is a traditional children’s song called “Tenya no Omochi.” It’s a song themed around mochi, and it can be enjoyed in different ways depending on the child’s age.
When playing with infants, sit the child on your lap and move your hands together to the rhythm.
For preschoolers, have them pair up with a friend and pass a beanbag back and forth, pretending it’s mochi.
The minor-key melody and rhythm are easy to remember, so you can play it over and over.
There are other New Year’s children’s songs as well, so be sure to enjoy hands-on play with a variety of songs.
Peekaboo! Wow!
Let’s enjoy a variety of cheerful “Good morning” greetings! Here’s a hand game from “Peek-a-boo, Wow!” to try.
“Good morning” is an important greeting that marks the start of the day, isn’t it? Many people feel they can kick off their day with energy just by hearing these words.
The charm of this hand game is that you can express a lively “Good morning” with clapping and body movements! Through the hand game and the “Good morning” greeting, you’ll be able to spend each day with a positive mindset.
It’s a perfect activity for morning circle time!
Churippu sharippu
Hold hands with your friends and play while calling each other’s names! Let me share the idea for “Churippu Sharippu.” There’s nothing to prepare, so just hum the song together and play.
There are moments in the song where you call out names, which makes it great for learning your friends’ names.
It’s especially recommended for classes with new or transferring children! You can adapt the way you play, so it’s an idea that children from infants to preschoolers can enjoy.
Be sure to try it in your activities.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands
With its upbeat, cheerful melody and playful choreography that matches the lyrics, “If You’re Happy and You Know It” is always a favorite among children.
Once they’re used to the basic dance, try exploring different variations.
Add moves even in parts that don’t say “If you’re happy, then ___,” or have the kids come up with their own ideas for the blanks.
For example, tapping their shoulders or giving a wink—these charming gestures from the children are sure to delight caregivers as well.
Paper puppet show of Rock-Paper-Scissors with roasted sweet potatoes
@piyopiyo_hoiku7 Is making things by hand the standard in practicums? I’m totally fine with buying them. What matters is how you perform for the children, how you communicate, and how you conduct childcare.Nursery teacher / Childcare workerPanel TheaterChildcarePape-sart (paper puppet theater)Packing
Kanata Haluka – RADWIMPS
Recommended for autumn! Here are some ideas for a paper puppet show of “Yakiimo Goo-Choki-Pa.” The traditional children’s song “Yakiimo Goo-Choki-Pa,” long loved as a hand-play activity, uses rock, scissors, and paper hand shapes to pretend to make and eat roasted sweet potatoes.
This time, let’s try a paper puppet show.
A paper puppet show (peep-show style) is a type of paper doll theater made by drawing different illustrations on two sheets of paper, sandwiching a chopstick or popsicle stick between them, and gluing them together.
It’s fun because you can change the illustration with a simple flip.