![[Children’s Songs for June] Fun finger-play songs and traditional nursery rhymes perfect for the rainy season](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/-b_ptVbBhx8/maxresdefault.webp)
The rainy season makes you long for summer.
When it rains day after day, many children make teru-teru bozu and wish, “Please be sunny!”
Precisely because it’s a time when it’s hard to play outside as much as you’d like, why not have fun by singing children’s songs and hand-play songs together?
In this article, we’ll introduce children’s songs and hand-play songs that are perfect for June, the month of the rainy season.
We’ve selected a wide range, from famous songs like “Katatatsumuri” (Snail) to hand-play favorites popular with children in nursery schools and kindergartens.
Let’s change our perspective and turn a rainy day into a fun one!
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[June Nursery Rhymes] Fun Hand-Play Songs and Traditional Children’s Songs Perfect for the Rainy Season (1–10)
Snail and FriendsNEW!
This piece was included on the album “Teasobi Collection Vol.
2,” released in May 2023.
It starts with a snail, and then a series of uniquely imaginary friends appear one after another—a development that’s sure to captivate children.
The upbeat tempo makes it easy to sing along with lots of energy.
Of course you can dance the choreography from the video, but it could be fun to try your own arrangements, too.
Even on rainy days when you can’t go outside, everyone can spend time letting their imaginations run wild.
Where is the snail?NEW!
This is a nursery rhyme themed around snails, perfect for the rainy season.
It’s included in the book “60 Hand-Play and Song-Play Activities for Childcare Providers,” released in April 2004, as well as in Yoshikazu Take’s album “Listen Carefully,” released in March 2013.
The piece has also been used in programs for infants and toddlers at libraries in Nakano Ward and has been active in community child-rearing support settings.
With its short melody and simple gestures, it’s great for indoor play with kids who can’t easily go outside on rainy days!
It will be sunny tomorrow.NEW!
When rainy days go on and on, you can’t play outside and it feels a bit lonely, doesn’t it? That’s when I hope you’ll sing this song, with lyrics and music by Osamu Sakata.
It was featured as the March 1999 “Song of the Month” on the NHK program “Okaasan to Issho,” and was included on the album released the same month, “NHK Okaasan to Issho: Issho ni Utaou Taizenshu 40 + Karaoke 10.” Its uplifting theme warmly conveys hope for tomorrow and the bonds of friendship.
Let’s sing our hearts out indoors and make our hearts shine bright!
teru-teru bozu (a traditional Japanese handmade doll hung to pray for good weather)NEW!
When rainy days keep you from going outside, you can’t help wanting to make a teru teru bozu and wish for tomorrow’s weather, right? Perfect for the rainy season, this hand-play song version of “Teru Teru Bozu” features a pop, gentle arrangement.
It doesn’t include the slightly scary lyrics from the traditional children’s song, so you can sing your heart out and have fun without worry.
The key is that you can use your whole body to play—make a circle with your hands to show the teru teru bozu’s face, raise both hands to represent the shining sun, and more.
If speaking is difficult, try starting at a slow tempo.
Tap your knees or the table to the beat, and let’s cheerfully wish for sunny weather tomorrow!
Vegetable SongNEW!
As the title suggests, “Yasai no Uta” (The Vegetable Song) features a variety of vegetables appearing one after another, letting you enjoy hand motions and gestures tailored to each one.
It’s a great educational song that helps children learn words to a catchy rhythm.
It has been loved for many years, including being recorded with vocals by Satoko Yamano on the album “Minna Daisuki Ekaki-uta • Asobi-uta,” released in May 2012.
Even on rainy days when you can’t play outside, let’s get everyone excited with this song at home or in preschool!
If it rainsNEW!
This is a children’s song created to help us enjoy the changing seasons.
It was included in Hiroshi Yatabe’s arranged and composed collection published in May 1998 and has long been cherished in early childhood education settings.
With short phrases and clear repetition, it depicts small creatures and natural scenes that get busy on rainy days, such as mother frogs.
The perspective of seeing rain not as unpleasant weather but as a time when frogs and nearby nature come to life is wonderful.
Try playing it together in kindergartens and nursery schools in June.
Head, shoulders, knees, pongNEW!
This is a traditional song from the UK that lets kids move their bodies with lots of energy.
It’s a fun hand game where you touch your head, shoulders, and knees in order, then clap your hands and strike a pose at the end.
As the tempo gradually speeds up, the children’s excitement ramps up, too! Based on an old children’s song documented in English-speaking regions around 1912, it became known in Japan through a recording sung by Satoko Yamano that was in circulation as of February 2006.
A video featuring Takashi Deguchi singing it was also broadcast in a segment of the TV Tokyo program “Kinder TV.”