Hand-play songs to sing for Hinamatsuri. Songs everyone can enjoy.
With the arrival of spring comes Hinamatsuri, a traditional Japanese festival that has been cherished for many years.
For Hinamatsuri, there are various songs with festival motifs, including the classic “Ureshii Hinamatsuri.” Among them, songs that incorporate hand play are wonderful recreational tools that let people of all ages enjoy together, using simple finger movements for choreography.
In this article, we’ll introduce plenty of fun hand-play songs that will make Hinamatsuri even more festive.
We’ve gathered a variety of Hinamatsuri songs, so be sure to check them out!
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Hand-play songs to sing for Hinamatsuri: Fun tunes for everyone (1–10)
Doll Festival (Hinamatsuri/Girls’ Day)
This is a hand-play song that two people can do together.
It’s a very simple routine where you make gestures to the classic song “Hinamatsuri.” It’s short and the movements are easy, so even little kids can pull it off perfectly.
There’s a move at the beginning where the two of you press your hands together, making it great for a bit of friendly contact.
Plus, being able to do it while singing is part of the fun.
Once you get used to it, you might try speeding it up.
Aim for high-speed Hinamatsuri!
Happy, joyful Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day)
This is “Happy, Joyful Hinamatsuri♪,” an original song by Baku, a childcare worker and creative play songwriter.
Hinamatsuri and the hina doll displays have various meanings and roles, and the lavish tiered arrangement represents the wedding of the Empress (Ohina-sama) and the Emperor (O-Dairi-sama).
This song expresses that wedding scene through cute lyrics and a fun fingerplay.
You can enjoy the hand game while learning the meaning of Hinamatsuri—two birds with one stone.
Understanding the festival’s meaning may also spark children’s interest in the finer roles, such as the three court ladies and the five musicians.
Hina-arare♪
Colorful and cute hina-arare are an essential snack for Hinamatsuri, aren’t they? Let’s play along with the hand-play song “Hina-arare♪,” which is all about these treats! Throughout the song, you basically keep the rhythm by clapping your hands.
Then, in time with the lyrics, pretend to eat hina-arare, make a round shape like the little puffs, and put your hands on your cheeks to show how tasty they are.
It’s a hand-play song you can enjoy even in a short break before snack time, so give it a try!
Hand-play songs to sing for Hinamatsuri: tunes everyone can enjoy (11–20)
What shall we make with rock, scissors, paper?
A popular fingerplay song in kindergartens and nurseries is “What Can We Make with Rock, Scissors, Paper?” Using the right and left hands, you form the three rock-scissors-paper shapes and combine both hands to represent different things.
Here, we sing a Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day) version of that fingerplay.
It features essential, easy-to-understand items from the doll festival, like the imperial couple (Odairi-sama and Ohina-sama), hishi-mochi, and small hand drums (kotsuzumi).
Because it’s an easy song to adapt, try making lots of things like hina-arare and bonbori lanterns and have fun playing!
palm-sized hina doll
Can you correctly answer what items the Hina dolls are holding? In this hand-play song called “Tenohira Hina Ningyo” (Palm-Sized Hina Dolls), it introduces the objects the dolls hold.
You mimic the shapes of the items with your hands as you play, so you can learn more about the dolls! You could even intentionally sing the wrong item and have the children point out, “That’s not right,” turning it into a quiz-style game.
It’s a Hinamatsuri song you can enjoy not only as a song but in various playful ways.
March 3rd is Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival/Girls’ Day).
An original Hina Matsuri hand-play song by Baku, an active nursery teacher.
The lyrics are easy to understand, so it looks like you can start playing with the children right away at daycare or kindergarten.
The gestures come as a set with the lyrics, making it easy to learn.
At the end, make big circles with your arms to express the joy of celebration.
Toy Cha-Cha-Cha: Hinamatsuri Version
They’re singing “Cha-Cha-Cha of the Toys,” a song everyone—adults and children alike—knows well, with new Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day) lyrics.
The words cleverly match the Hinamatsuri theme, so even first-time listeners won’t find it odd and will surely enjoy singing and playing along.
The choreography is very simple, making it easy for everyone to have fun together, even with little kids.
Although Hinamatsuri is said to spotlight girls, boys can also enjoy dancing, singing, and playing.
It’s a cute song that really boosts the festive mood.