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
- 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.
- [For 1-year-olds] Fun Together! Recommended Songs and Hand Play Collection
- [Childcare] Wordplay and game ideas everyone can enjoy together
- [Childcare] Fun Rhythm Play! Recommended Games and Hand-Clapping/Hand-Play for Kids
- [Hand Play] Popular with kids! A collection of trendy hand-play songs and nostalgic traditional children’s songs
- 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 and hand game songs for toddlers and children! Full of ideas for childcare (51–60)
all over each other; stuck together; clingy
Hittsuki Mottsuki is a song created by Keropons, a musical duo that delivers songs and exercises for children.
The theme is a Hiroshima dialect word that means “to stick together and not come apart.” A bright melody rides on a lively ukulele performance.
Starting with choreography where you open both hands wide and move them side to side, you can enjoy unique moves like your heads ending up stuck together.
The trick is to clearly show the expression of “We’re stuck!” Try sticking not only your heads but also your hands, backs, and other parts of your body to play in different ways.
Close It, Open It
Let’s enjoy “Musunde Hiraite” with one-year-olds who are getting better at imitation.
The song incorporates various movements, like opening and closing the hands and raising and lowering the arms in time with the music.
Watching the teacher’s example and copying it is great fun for children.
You’ll see a range of expressions, from big smiles to very serious faces.
The key is to sing at a slow tempo so it’s easy for them to imitate.
Spend a wonderful time with these adorable children as they express themselves as best they can with their little hands and short arms.
Playing bus (pretend bus play)
This is a fingerplay song where you can pretend to be a bus driver.
It starts with hand motions for holding the steering wheel, so you can enjoy choreography that mimics driving a bus.
There’s a part where the passengers pass their tickets along in order, giving everyone a role to play.
You could also set a destination and add the idea of the whole family aiming for the goal together.
It’s a song with unique developments, like enjoying the scenery or bumping into things.
It’s also fun to switch drivers and play again each time the song ends.
Panda, rabbit, koala
How about “Panda, Rabbit, Koala,” a hand-play song that became widely popular thanks to the NHK educational program Okaasan to Issho (With Mother)? The song is known for having lyrics written by Hiroo Takada.
It invites children to imitate the movements of the panda, rabbit, and koala that appear in the lyrics.
Its appeal also lies in the built-in variations and game-like elements, such as the tempo gradually speeding up.
Adding brief explanations between verses—like “Let’s line them up!”—might make it even more enjoyable.
Under the big chestnut tree
A big hit with kids in the autumn season! Let me introduce the hand game for “Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree.” It’s a fun rhythm-and-movement activity that everyone can enjoy together! Use your hands and body in time with the song to express it dynamically.
This hand game also lets everyone imagine the lyrics as they play, so it can help deepen bonds with parents, teachers, and friends.
As a fun variation, you could change the features—like a small chestnut tree or a round chestnut tree—to make it even more exciting.
Let’s clap our hands
“Let’s Clap Our Hands” is a song where you can enjoy various movements and expressions that match the lyrics.
Because it includes expressions of feelings like laughing and getting angry, it brings out a wide range of emotions in children.
If the teacher expresses themselves boldly and even a bit theatrically, the children will feel free to join in enthusiastically.
Watching their earnest efforts with such cute expressions is sure to be heartwarming.
Since it involves full-body movement, please move chairs and desks to make enough space.
Hand play ‘The Flower Smiled’
How about enjoying a hand-play activity with the children’s song “Ohanaga Waratta,” which is perfect for spring entrance ceremonies? You can make flowers with your hands and open them with a pop—it’s a very simple and cute choreography.
Playing it together with children who may be nervous in a new place, or having teachers perform it, could help ease some of that tension.
This song might also convey that kindergarten or nursery school is a fun place.
Please consider it as a performance idea.
[Introductory fingerplay] Tanabata Bata-BataLyrics by / Music by: Boku to Kimi
![[Introductory fingerplay] Tanabata Bata-Bata Lyrics by: / Music by: Boku to Kimi](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1_YV7x9rbBs/sddefault.jpg)
A must-read for teachers wondering how to introduce Tanabata crafts.
Try enjoying the hand play song “Tanabata Bata-Bata” with the children—it answers their question, “What kind of event is Tanabata?” The song expresses Orihime and Hikoboshi’s feelings and situations in words that are easy for kids to understand, helping them picture the story and get excited while deepening their understanding of Tanabata.
It would also be fun to work on the craft while humming the song! Let’s boost the children’s excitement and connect it to their motivation to create.
Horn, horn, hoooorn!Tsubasa Suzuki, Sho Fukuda
The song game “Tsuno Tsuno Tsū-no” boosts kids’ sense of “I wonder what it is?” The choreography—gently swaying horn shapes made with the index fingers to a relaxed rhythm—is adorable.
The unique lyrics that make children think, “What’s going to come out next?” are fun and spark their curiosity, while also helping them develop the ability to listen attentively.
A flurry of animals appears one after another, so animal-loving kids will be thrilled.
For the final “None!” make sure to sing it out energetically and have fun.
Pop the egg
Eggs are a powerhouse ingredient you can enjoy raw, fried, or boiled—nutritious and delicious in every form.
Some people might remember admiring their mothers deftly cracking eggs and cooking, and wishing they could try it themselves when they were little.
The song “Tamago wo Bon!” playfully celebrates eggs and is a lively hand-play tune that’s perfect for parents and kids to enjoy together.
It could be fun to ask children what kinds of dishes you can make after cracking an egg and let them answer without giving the “right” answer first.
And when someone gets it right, be sure to actually make something like a rolled omelet or pancakes for them!
