Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs to enjoy in May! Songs perfect for the fresh green season
May is the season when fresh green leaves shine brightly and playing outside becomes so much fun.
On walks, you can hear many little birds and feel the pleasant breeze, which lifts your spirits.
At times like that, why not spend the moment singing children’s songs that let you feel the joys of spring?
We’re introducing many songs—from ones that capture the comfortable feeling of May to tunes perfect for spring field trips and fun outings.
Let’s sing children’s songs that you can enjoy together with May’s nature—everyone with friends and family!
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Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs to enjoy in May! Perfect songs for the fresh green season (21–30)
Song of Children’s DaySakushi: Maki Fusayu / Sakkyoku: Hara Kenichi
Exactly as the title suggests, this is a Japanese Ministry of Education school song themed around May 5th, Children’s Day.
It’s a piece notable for its somewhat nostalgic melody and refreshing lyrics.
Incidentally, in 1948 May 5th was designated a national holiday, and the festival of Tango no Sekku came to be known as Children’s Day.
Height comparisonSakushi: Umino Atsushi / Sakkyoku: Nakayama Shinpei
This is a Japanese children’s song, published in the Taisho era, that depicts the festivities of Tango no Sekku (the Boys’ Festival).
In ancient China, Tango no Sekku was considered a day to ward off evil and pray for health.
Customs included going out to the fields to gather medicinal herbs, displaying dolls made of mugwort, and drinking shobu (sweet flag) liquor.
Tea PickingMonbushō shōka
It is a Japanese children’s song and Ministry of Education shoka, published in 1912, known for its opening line “Summer is coming near on the 88th night.” This piece is said to be based on a tea-picking song from Ujitawara Village in Kyoto.
Incidentally, the “88th Night” is one of the zassetsu (seasonal days outside the traditional 24 solar terms), referring to the 88th day counted from the start of spring (Risshun), which typically falls around May 2 each year.
carp streamerSakushi: Kondō Miyako / Sakkyoku: Fumei
Speaking of May, it’s Children’s Day! And when it’s Children’s Day, you often see carp streamers gently swaying as they swim through the sky.
There’s a classic Children’s Day nursery song called “Koinobori” that sings about a family of these carp streamers.
There are a few other songs that also feature koinobori and use kanji in their titles, but this one is the most popular and is often sung in preschools and kindergartens.
The song depicts a large black or blue father carp streamer and small, adorable child carp streamers swimming in the sky.
On Children’s Day, why not head out to look for koinobori in your neighborhood while singing this song?
Stroll MarchSakushi · Sakkyoku: Tsujibayashi Miho
On nice spring days, it’s really fun to play outside, isn’t it? This month’s song on “Okaasan to Issho,” Osanpo March, is also a lovely tune that perfectly captures the refreshing feel of May.
The lyrics—“Let’s walk across the rainbow; it’s a colorful path, so it’s fun.
Full of energy, let’s keep walking all the way to space”—are easy to relate to.
Once you hear the marching rhythm, you might feel like walking while singing along.
On sunny days, singing outdoors is great too.
Osanpo March, sung by Yuuichirou Hanada and Atsuko Ono, is available for download on RecoChoku.
The Very Hungry CaterpillarGensaku: Erikku Karu / Yakushi: Mori Hisashi / Sakkyoku: Shinzawa Toshihiko
This is a song from the picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which features a caterpillar with a red face and a long green body.
The lyrics follow the story in the book, so just like in the book, the hungry caterpillar eats lots of different foods.
The song has a light, gentle melody, making it great to enjoy while reading the book! Caterpillars themselves appear in large numbers in May, so this song is perfect for May.
It might be fun to observe real caterpillars while enjoying the book and the song together.
Tan-go FestivalSakushi sakkyoku: Ichigokurabu
Tango no Sekku is one of the five seasonal festivals and is also called the Iris Festival.
We know it’s a long-standing custom, but these days it’s become more like an event to celebrate children’s growth—eating kashiwa-mochi, flying carp streamers, and soaking in iris baths.
The song “Tango no Sekku” is one of the “Ichigo Club Original Songs” created by Ichigo Club.
Its melody hits all the right notes of a classic children’s song and is very pleasant to listen to.
The lyrics, with their “I’m going to grow big! I’m going to be strong!” vibe, are also encouraging.
It’s an easy song to sing, and I hope more people get to know it.