Songs for January: Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs we want children to grow familiar with
When you hear “songs for January,” what kinds of tunes come to mind?
There are many, from those often sung in childcare settings and schools to classic pieces that have been loved in Japan for many years.
Here, we’ll introduce nursery rhymes and hand-play songs that you’ll want to enjoy with children in January.
Everyone has different experiences with the songs they’ve grown up with, so try talking about them with your family and friends.
You might even come across some songs for the first time.
These are all songs that can be enjoyed across generations and that we’d love to pass on to the children who will shape the next generation.
- Snow Songs to Enjoy in Winter! Children's Snow Nursery Rhymes & Hand-Play Songs
- Collection of winter nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs. Includes fun winter hand-play songs too.
- Masterpieces to Listen to in January: New Year-Themed, New Year-Ready, and Winter Songs
- [For Seniors] Winter Classics to Sing in January: Heartwarming Moments with Nostalgic Children’s Songs and Kayōkyoku (Japanese Popular Songs)
- [February Songs] Introducing children's songs, folk songs, nursery rhymes, and hand-play songs about Setsubun and winter!
- December children's songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes: fun winter hand-play songs
- [Hand Play] Popular with kids! A collection of trendy hand-play songs and nostalgic traditional children’s songs
- Parody Versions of the Children's Song “Oshōgatsu” | Hilarious and Not-So-Hilarious!? Check Out the Shocking Lyrics!
- Nursery rhymes to sing to your baby! Recommended songs enjoyable from 0 months
- Childcare: Today's recommended fun songs
- [Children's Songs] Cute songs recommended for childcare. List of popular nursery rhymes.
- Fun to dance! A roundup of recommended dance songs for young children, perfect for daycare and sports days
- [Childcare] Recommended songs and nursery rhymes for November: Fun autumn fingerplay songs
[January Songs] Nursery Rhymes and Hand-Clapping Songs We Want Children to Enjoy (41–50)
[Hand-play song] Konkon Kitsune
![[Hand-play song] Konkon Kitsune](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6JgreIA0FO0/sddefault.jpg)
Konkon Kitsune, perfect for winter fingerplay, is a children’s hand-play song based on the American nursery rhyme “There’s a Cabin in the Woods.” It’s great fun even for little kids: you form a fox with your hands and play along to the song.
The simple fox hand shape, moving your hands left and right, imitating the fox’s voice, and repeating the same motions to the rhythm are all popular with children.
It gets even more fun if you get creative—try turning the fox into Pikachu or a rabbit for your hand-play.
frost pillarsSakushi: Noguchi Ujo / Sakkyoku: Motoori Nagayo
This is a children’s song that celebrates the pleasant feeling of stepping on frost heaves formed by the winter cold.
The fun crunching sound made when stepping on them in winter is expressed as “zakku zakku.” Even the sparrows that fly over seem to be playing by stepping on the frost, giving the song a child’s-eye perspective.
Come, springSakushi: Soma Gyofu / Sakkyoku: Hirota Ryutaro
The composer Ryutaro Hirota is also famous for pieces like “Koinobori” and “Sparrows’ School.” This song was composed in the late Taisho era.
The Mi-chan who appears in the lyrics is said to be modeled after the lyricist Gofu Soma’s eldest daughter.
With its charming melody, it conveys the feeling of not being able to wait for spring to arrive, and it makes the heart dance.
The Song of the Twelve Zodiac Animalssakushi sakkyoku/miyahira rie
A fun song where the twelve zodiac animals appear in a rhythmic sequence.
It’s perfect for New Year’s and might be a great way for children to become familiar with the twelve zodiac animals.
Created by Rie Miyahira, this piece won the Excellence Award at the 9th Lapomme Grand Prize and is widely loved in early childhood education settings.
Imitating animal sounds or moving your body as if you were each animal while singing makes it even more exciting and enjoyable.
It’s a recommended song to sing with children not only for New Year’s events but also at gatherings with an animal theme.
Winter nightSakushi/Sakkyoku: Monbushō Shōka
This is a children’s song created in the Meiji era as a shoka for elementary readers.
It sings of a beautiful winter scene with the outside covered in snow.
Though irori hearths are seldom seen nowadays, the song warmly depicts a family gathered around one, enjoying time together and keeping warm inside even as a winter blizzard rages outdoors.
KodANUKI PonpoShimojō Atomu
The children’s song “Kodanuki Pompo,” with its uniquely pleasant sense of rhythm, has been airing on NHK’s Minna no Uta since 1983, so some of you may have heard it.
Listen closely to the poignant lyrics about Kodanuki Pompo faithfully waiting for the girl who lent him her red gloves last winter.
The steady, even rhythm flows comfortably into your body, and together with the gentle, deeply expressive melody, it’s sure to strengthen the bond between parents and children.
Goat MailSakushi: Mado Michio / Sakkyoku: Dan Ikuma
The children’s song “Yagi-san Yubin” has long been loved.
Its charm lies in the humorous lyrics about goats who love paper so much that, whenever a letter arrives, they eat it right away and can never read it.
It’s fun to sing together as a parent and child, and it would be even more exciting to add gestures that follow the lyrics while you sing.
Try getting into the goats’ mindset and enjoy the song’s humor-filled words.
It’s a piece we’d like to keep singing and passing down across generations.