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 and hand game songs for toddlers and children! Packed with childcare ideas (41–50)
It’s starting.
A fingerplay song that uses both hands to show numbers and mimic the traits of characters or animals.
As the title suggests, it’s a song themed around beginnings, so it’s also recommended to sing before reading a picture book aloud or starting a Children’s Day event.
You play by making numbers with your left and right hands.
For example, make a scissors pose with both hands to represent a crab—there’s lots of room for creative variations.
Try incorporating Children’s Day–themed ideas like carp streamers and samurai helmets as you play.
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.