[Animal Song] Fun nursery rhymes popular with children

Horse’s tail, pig’s tail.Sakushi: Abe Hitomi / Sakkyoku: Yamamoto Naozumi

Horse tails, pig tails

Broadcast on NHK’s Minna no Uta in August 1983, this song is a humorous children’s tune themed around the tails of a horse and a pig.

Written by Hitomi Abe and composed by Naosumi Yamamoto, it was selected as an outstanding piece in NHK’s Children’s Song Lyrics and Composition Contest.

The story charmingly likens a boy’s puppy-love—teasing the girl he likes—to animal tails, sweetly capturing that childish urge to tug on her pigtails.

Sung by Kyu Sakamoto and the NHK Tokyo Children’s Choir, it became well-loved and was rebroadcast in 2010 and 2015.

There are also covers by various artists, including Seiji Tanaka, and it is widely sung in kindergarten and nursery school choirs.

Its lively melody and catchy refrain make it perfect for parents and children to sing together.

Foal’s Rhythm PlayMonbushō shōka

A nursery teacher plays the piano for the rhythm activity “Little Foal”! Sheet music included

This children’s song, which depicts a lively foal moving forward to the chant “Hai-shii, hai-shii,” was included in the Ministry of Education’s Shoka for the Elementary School Reader, edited in July 1910 (Meiji 43).

Its hallmark is the way it expresses the foal’s hoofbeats—pressing on along mountain paths and up steep slopes—through an even beat and rhythm.

Today it is used in early childhood education and eurhythmics as a “rhythm play” activity, ideal for children to walk, run, and stop in time with the piano.

Because changes in pitch and tempo can be expressed through body movement, it’s perfect for group movement play and parent–child bonding time.

By imitating a horse’s gait, it offers a fun way to foster a sense of rhythm.

All mothersamerika min’yō

[Children’s Song] All the Horses / Daisuke Yokoyama

This is a song arranged for Japanese audiences from a folk tune that originated in 19th-century America.

Tomoko Nakayama’s Japanese lyrics pose questions like why a horse goes clip-clop as it runs and why a piglet’s tail curls—“no one knows why.” Easy-to-remember onomatopoeia is repeated to the rhythm, making it appealing and well-suited for creating parody verses.

Sung on NHK’s children’s programs, this piece has reached many homes and childcare settings through performances by Yuko Kanzaki and Osamu Sakata.

Combined with fingerplay or marching movements, it’s a perfect nursery song for parents and children to enjoy together.

Adorable foalSakushi: Satō Hachirō / Sakkyoku: Niki Takio

Adorable Foal - Children's Song - Showa-era Song - Radio Kayō / National Kayō - With Lyrics

This song warmly portrays the life of a foal and a child, while carrying a curious, poignant sense of the times quietly creeping in.

You dry the foal’s wet mane, run together, and eventually part ways.

Such scenes unfold alongside rhythmic calls and responses.

The lyricist, Hachirō Satō, was active across a wide range from children’s songs to popular music, and the composer, Takio Niki, was a seasoned talent also known for film scores.

The work was released in December 1940 and broadcast nationwide the following January 1941 on NHK’s “National Songs.” It is closely connected to the film “Uma” (Horse), and has long been loved, later even featured in animated films.

Singing it as a family invites reflections on life in earlier times, and in early childhood settings it can be enjoyed as a play activity by imitating a foal’s movements.

horse (childish/affectionate term)Sakushi: Hayashi Ryūha / Sakkyoku: Matsushima Tsune

[Ouma] Children's song ♪ with hand motions ♪ song ♪

This piece portrays a foal walking clip-clop alongside its mother, set to a gentle rhythm.

Lyricist Yanaha Hayashi is said to have written the words based on the scene of a mare and foal he saw at the Imperial Stock Farm in Chiba, weaving the affection between animal mother and child in simple language.

Composer Tsune Matsushima aimed for a vocal range and phrasing that are easy for lower elementary grades to sing, and created accompaniment that is easy to play on keyboard or harmonica.

After being included in the February 1941 national school textbook “Uta no Hon, Upper,” it continued to be adopted in textbooks by various publishers after the war, and in 2007 it was selected for the “100 Best Japanese Songs.” It fits naturally into kindergarten and preschool choruses, and it’s easy to incorporate into fingerplay or instrumental ensembles.

If parents and children sing it together, they can have fun imitating the sound of hoofbeats.

Playable on easy piano! KusakeibaSakkyoku: Sutiibun Fositā

[Easy Piano] The Camptown Races ✨

Composed in 19th-century America, this lively piece depicts a horse’s brisk gallop with a bouncy melody and the rousing cry of “Doo-dah!” Since its publication in February 1850, it has been covered by many artists, including Bing Crosby and Kenny Rogers, and has been featured in the film Blazing Saddles and in Looney Tunes.

In Japan, it was also played during the equestrian performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic opening ceremony, making it a familiar tune in a wide range of settings.

There is plenty of beginner piano sheet music available, and because it’s written in C major, mostly on the white keys, even newcomers can enjoy practicing while feeling the sense of speed.

It’s a perfect choice for musical play both in childcare settings and at home!

Panda, rabbit, koala

Panda, Bunny, 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.

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