A collection of cheerful nursery rhymes—songs that make you feel happy when you sing them.
There are so many nursery rhymes that are popular with children!
There are songs about animals, songs about food, songs about the seasons—the themes are varied, and each song has its own mood.
In this article, we’ll introduce a selection of especially cheerful songs from among the most popular nursery rhymes all at once!
We’ve gathered lots of songs that will put you in a happy mood whether you listen to them or sing along.
Please sample the songs we introduce below, and be sure to enjoy listening to and singing your favorites!
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A collection of cheerful nursery rhymes: songs that make you feel happy when you sing them (51–60)
Choki-choki Dance
This “Choki Choki Dance,” as the name suggests, is a simple hand-play song that makes you want to dance and have fun.
In the song, you make a “choki” (scissor/peace sign) and do gestures and poses.
The energy is high, and there aren’t any particularly difficult parts, so anyone can jump in and enjoy it easily.
With joyful expressions like “Yay!” and “Peace,” it gets more and more fun as you dance.
It’s a lively hand-play song that will bring smiles, and I hope teachers and parents will sing it happily with the children!
What color do you like?
It’s very important for children to learn the names of colors, isn’t it? This song about colors was even broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta.” Using this song as a starting point, you can have even more fun by talking with your child—asking questions like, “Which color do you like best?” or “What can we draw with this color?” It seems a book featuring the song’s lyrics has also been published, and by looking at it, you can see what kinds of pictures can be drawn with each color.
It would be lovely to sing together while looking at the book.
Vegetable Song
This song, whose lyrics directly express the names and characteristics of vegetables, is a hand-play activity that even infants can enjoy.
Clap your fists together with a “ton-ton,” point your index fingers with a “pi-pi,” and freely enjoy the gestures while following the pleasant rhythm of the words.
It’s also recommended to arrange the song by adding vegetables or fruits that don’t appear in the lyrics—find them together in picture books or field guides and incorporate them.
As you sing it repeatedly, children are likely to remember many vegetable names and their features! If you include it before lunchtime, it can also support food education.
It requires no preparation and can be enjoyed anywhere, so be sure to sing it together with the children.
Ice Cream Song
Characterized by an up-tempo melody and fun, bubbly lyrics, “The Ice Cream Song” was also broadcast on NHK’s Minna no Uta and Okaasan to Issho.
Since it centers on ice cream, which kids love, there are probably many children who adore this song.
A collection of cheerful nursery rhymes: songs that make you feel happy when you sing them (61–70)
There’s no such thing as ghosts.Sakushi: Maki Minori / Sakkyoku: Mine Akira
This is a cute song recommended for children who are at the age where they start getting scared of ghosts.
Despite being a ghost-themed song, its cheerful lyrics brighten kids’ spirits.
It’s also very handy for soothing frightened children.
Since it’s an upbeat tune, it’s fun to sing along!
Ghost Ninja Doron Doron Doron
This is a song featuring “Obake Ninja,” a character that combines ghosts and ninjas—two things kids love—as the protagonist.
There’s a choreography video on video sites, so it might be perfect for those who want to choose a performance piece quickly.
It feels like a song made with little ones in mind, packed with elements of eurhythmics and hand-play, such as shuriken, knee shuriken, head shuriken, and more, making it easy to incorporate into everyday early childhood classes.
The melody is gentle, with nothing scary about the ghost.
It’s a song everyone can enjoy with big smiles—I hope it spreads even more!
Ghost Town
Obake no Machi (Ghost Town) was created by Sho Fukuda, a composer of children’s play songs with experience as a nursery teacher.
It portrays scenes of encountering various kinds of ghosts around town, featuring hand-play choreography tailored to each character.
Despite its horror-flavored melody, the fun moves keep it from feeling scary—another highlight.
Set to a lively beat, the song unfolds with vocals and dances that showcase each ghost’s traits.
It’s also recommended to try mimicking the ghosts together with friends at daycare or kindergarten.
