Get excited! A list of popular and fun hand games that captivate children
Here are some fun hand-play ideas that will captivate children!
Move your hands and body to the songs and rhythms of hand-play, and both kids and adults can enjoy it together.
Have fun matching the songs and movements of the hand-play.
Through communication with friends, children can create precious memories as they play.
It’s easy to do anywhere, so try incorporating it as an opener for childcare events and other activities!
Enjoy hand-play with the children and spend a wonderful time together.
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Get Excited! A List of Popular and Fun Hand Games That Engage Kids (21–30)
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands
Clap Your Hands If You’re Happy is a classic hand-play song everyone knows! Many parents probably learned it in nursery school or kindergarten when they were children.
The great thing about this game is that it’s fun whether you play alone, with one other person, or in a big circle.
You can enjoy physical interaction by facing each other and clapping hands, or by patting each other’s shoulders.
Each movement is simple, but by combining hands, feet, and shoulders and gradually increasing the difficulty, it becomes even more exciting.
Yakiimo goo-choki-pa
Riding the Goo-Choki-Pa rhythm, you’ll find the fun with children keeps growing.
By repeating the rock–scissors–paper motions along with the lyrics, kids naturally learn the janken shapes—that’s the charm.
As you gradually pick up the tempo, their smiles spread and the excitement builds.
It’s also a great chance to deepen communication: they can face each other and play with friends, or enjoy it together with teachers and parents.
No prep is needed, and you can play it anywhere, so it’s highly recommended.
It also sounds fun to add your own twists while watching how the children respond.
Get Excited! A List of Popular and Fun Hand-Play Games That Captivate Kids (31–40)
Mitsuya Cider
The hand game “Mitsuya Cider” introduces the numbers 1 through 3 and gives children a chance to engage with numbers.
It cutely expresses the fizzing of cider and has a song structure that’s easy for kids to imitate.
The key point is the wordplay on counting “one, two, three” (hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu) and “Mitsuya Cider”! Children can learn how to count at the same time.
Plus, you can liven things up by freely arranging the lyrics in the middle section.
Be sure to include this hand game and enjoy a fun time with the children!
Ogre’s Pants
“Oni no Pantsu” is a hand-play song that kids absolutely love.
It’s so much fun to sing out loud, “We’re strong!” The lyrics include colorful pants like red, yellow, and blue, so children naturally learn the names of colors.
It’s perfect for Setsubun season, but it’s great any time of year.
We also recommend playing together with small props inspired by the ogre’s pants.
Since it’s a song that sticks in kids’ memories, it would be wonderful to create a lively atmosphere by singing it together and having fun.
Hand game ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Clap’
Let me introduce “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” a game played to an English folk tune! In this activity, you touch different parts of your body with your hands in time with the song.
Infants can enjoy it as a bonding game with their parents, and preschoolers will have fun moving their hands quickly to different spots with the rhythm.
Because it’s a bright, upbeat song, performing it at an entrance ceremony would instantly make the atmosphere lively and festive.
Sing, play, and have fun together!
The Bento Box Song
Many of you have probably sung this at least once.
It’s a hand-play song that parents and children can enjoy together: while packing ingredients into a lunchbox and singing, kids can learn the names of vegetables, and through the hand motions they can also learn numbers.
When you’re making it for a big elephant, sing at a slow tempo; for a little ant, sing faster with rhythmic gestures.
Even very young babies will be interested and watch and listen.
It’s a play activity that lets parents and babies communicate from an early age, so give it a try and have fun.
Hand play ‘The Flower Smiled’
How about enjoying a hand-play activity with the children’s song “Ohanaga Waratta,” which is perfect for spring entrance ceremonies? You can make flowers with your hands and open them with a pop—it’s a very simple and cute choreography.
Playing it together with children who may be nervous in a new place, or having teachers perform it, could help ease some of that tension.
This song might also convey that kindergarten or nursery school is a fun place.
Please consider it as a performance idea.