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!
- Kids go wild! Popular hand games and fun sing-alongs
- Hand games toddlers and infants can do. Popular hand play songs in childcare
- [Hand Play] Popular with kids! A collection of trendy hand-play songs and nostalgic traditional children’s songs
- Get excited! A list of popular and fun hand games that captivate children
- Parent–child interactive play. Fun activities popular in childcare settings and at parent–child observation days.
- [Childcare] Wordplay and game ideas everyone can enjoy together
- [For 1-year-olds] Fun Together! Recommended Songs and Hand Play Collection
- [Childcare] Fun Rhythm Play! Recommended Games and Hand-Clapping/Hand-Play for Kids
- Useful for childcare! Today’s recommended recreational activities, including fingerplay and games!
- Recreation for daycare centers and kindergartens: fun activities for children
- Handkerchief and Towel Play! A Collection of Fun Play Ideas
- [For Adults] Fun Hand-Clapping Games: A Curated Selection of Ideas Great for Brain Training Too!
- [Childcare] Fun Songs for 2-Year-Olds to Sing! Recommended Song Collection
Popular Hand Games & Hand-Play Songs for Toddlers and Children! Packed with Ideas for Childcare (11–20)
Ochara-ka-hoi
Ocharaka Hoi is a fun hand game song with a mysterious, spell-like title that you play in pairs.
Hold out your left hand with the palm facing up, and tap your partner’s left palm with your right hand to the rhythm.
At the cue “Ocharaka Hoi,” both players do rock-paper-scissors.
If you win, strike a triumphant pose; if you lose, a sad pose; and if it’s a tie, a slightly cocky pose.
It’s fun to imagine what your friend will throw next, and deciding on poses makes the rock-paper-scissors flow rhythmically.
Once you get used to the moves, try speeding it up!
Catch
A finger-play game called “Catch,” where friends, teachers, and guardians try to catch each other’s fingers.
It’s even more fun with more people.
Make a tube with one hand, and with the other hand stick up your index finger and put it into the tube made by the person next to you.
When the leader calls out “Catch,” the hand making the tube squeezes to catch the finger inside, while the index finger tries to pull out so it doesn’t get caught in the other person’s tube.
You succeed if you catch the other person’s finger or if you manage to pull your own finger out of the tube in time! The caller can make it more game-like and exciting by faking people out with several words that start with “kya/kyu/kyo” sounds like “cabbage” (kyabetsu) or “cat” (kyatto) before finally saying “Catch.”
Mitsuya Cider
This hand-play song features Mitsuya Cider, a drink loved by everyone from children to adults.
Using your hands, you act out the fizzy bubbles going pop-pop and the lively shuwa-shuwa sensation of carbonation.
It also includes a number-play element that uses the numbers 1 to 3 to match the “three” in Mitsuya Cider’s name.
The lyrics cue different movements to show whether the cider is better chilled or not too cold.
It’s a hand-play song with a bouncy rhythm that’s delightfully addictive!
The Bento Box Song
“Obentōbako no Uta” is a song where you keep packing various dishes into a lunchbox.
It’s not just a hand-play song; it also includes elements of number play.
The fact that it offers various kinds of learning is another highlight.
You show the hidden numbers in the dish names and the number of items to put in the lunchbox using your fingers.
For lotus root (renkon), you make circles with your fingers to represent the holes, and for butterbur (fuki), you trace your own arm with your hand to show the ridged lines.
There are also arranged versions where the menu has been updated to a modern selection, so be sure to check those out too!
tea kettle lid stand (chatsubo)
The hand-clapping song “Chatsubo” has you use both hands alternately to make the lid and the bottom of a tea jar.
Surprisingly, the tea jar that appears in the song doesn’t have a lid.
Without a lid, the contents could spill if it tips over, and dust could get in.
So the idea in this song is to use the bottom part of the tea jar to make a lid.
While moving both hands alternately, you create the jar, its lid, and its bottom as separate parts.
It looks simple, but it’s actually quite easy to get your hands tangled up—this is a hallmark of the game.
You might get mixed up after trying it over and over, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a lot of fun!
Knock knock knock knock, Grandpa with a beard
The hand-play song “Ton ton ton ton Hige Jiisan” features various characters, such as a bearded old man and a person wearing glasses.
You use your hands to show each character’s traits.
Until the old men appear, you tap your two fists alternately up and down to the rhythm.
Then, depending on the character, you place both fists under your chin to make the bearded old man, or make circles over your eyes to show the person with glasses.
At the end, you place your hands on your knees to finish.
You can also change the final hand placement to places other than the knees if you like!
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.
