Kids go wild! Popular hand games and fun sing-alongs
Kids love fingerplay! When the teacher cheerfully sings and moves their hands, the children’s eyes light up as if to say, “What’s starting?” They gaze intently or try to imitate, showing such adorable reactions.
Fingerplay is essential in early childhood settings—for introducing activities or drawing children’s attention.
So this time, we’re introducing popular fingerplays and action songs for kids.
From classic routines often used in nurseries and kindergartens to trendy new ones, we’ve got plenty that will captivate children.
Find options that match their interests and age, and give them a try!
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Kids Will Love It! Popular Hand Play and Fun Singing Games (1–10)
Dango, dango, they stuck together.
Let us introduce the hand-play song “Dango Dango Stuck Together,” which is very popular with children.
This song has a humorous theme in which dumplings end up sticking to various parts of the body, capturing kids’ interest.
As you sing, you move your hands and feet, making it a fun way to learn rhythm and body movement.
It’s especially popular during the autumn moon-viewing season, so it also conveys a sense of the season.
The choreography is simple, so even very young children can enjoy it.
We also recommend singing and playing together with parents or guardians.
It’s sure to be a delightful time full of smiles!
Shopping at the bakerySakushi: Sakura Tomoko / Sakkyoku: Ozawa Tatsuyuki
While playing both the customer and the baker, you can enjoy a fun hand-play activity set in a bakery—perhaps a relatively new song in the hand-play repertoire.
As you rhythmically act it out, you express different types of bread through gestures.
It might also be fun to come up with new kinds of bread yourselves and add corresponding gestures.
Vegetable Song
This song, whose lyrics directly express the names and characteristics of vegetables, is a hand-play activity that even infants can enjoy.
Clap your fists together with a “ton-ton,” point your index fingers with a “pi-pi,” and freely enjoy the gestures while following the pleasant rhythm of the words.
It’s also recommended to arrange the song by adding vegetables or fruits that don’t appear in the lyrics—find them together in picture books or field guides and incorporate them.
As you sing it repeatedly, children are likely to remember many vegetable names and their features! If you include it before lunchtime, it can also support food education.
It requires no preparation and can be enjoyed anywhere, so be sure to sing it together with the children.
Kids will love it! Popular hand games and fun sing-alongs (11–20)
The department store with the penguin logoSakushi / Sakkyoku: Inukai Seiji
The hand-play song written and composed by Seiji Inukai has a cute theme inspired by a department store.
With its cheerful lyrics and rhythmic melody, children can pretend to be penguins and joyfully move their hands while singing.
It lets them express a journey through various shops from the first to the fifth floor, which seems to nurture their imagination.
It’s said that nursery and kindergarten teachers use sketchbook theater to make it visually engaging as well.
If everyone sings and dances together, smiles are guaranteed!
What should I be when I grow up?
Ooki-kunattara Nanni Narou (“What Will I Be When I Grow Up?”) is another recommended fingerplay song that you can enjoy while letting your imagination grow.
First, you raise one finger, pretend it’s a syringe, and play the role of a doctor.
Next, you use two fingers as scissors and become a barber, then three fingers as a whisk to become a baker—adding more fingers each time to take on different jobs.
Children can watch with excitement, wondering, “What will I be next?” and it can also inspire them to think about their future dreams.
Crocodile familySakushi: Kamitsubo Maya / Sakkyoku: Mine Akira
A beloved, heartwarming piece is “The Crocodile Family.” It’s a hand-play song about the daily life of a crocodile family.
With lots of comical expressions, it’s something you can enjoy together in a lively way.
Plus, the choreography uses the whole upper body, so it doubles as light exercise.
When you portray the adult crocodile, use your whole arm as the jaw.
For the baby crocodile, use just your fingers.
It also includes swimming motions, which might spark kids’ interest in the pool.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your handsSakamoto Kyu
“If You’re Happy and You Know It” is a classic fingerplay song everyone knows! Many parents probably learned it in nursery school or kindergarten.
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 parent-child bonding by facing each other and clapping hands, or patting each other’s shoulders.
Each action is simple, but if you gradually increase the difficulty by combining hands, feet, and shoulders, it will get even more exciting.
