Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs to enjoy in May! Songs perfect for the fresh green season
In dazzlingly green May, many of you are surely looking for children’s songs and hand-play tunes to sing with kids at daycare or at home.
Songs that evoke spring really capture children’s hearts and add color to everyday activities.
In this article, we’ll introduce plenty of nursery rhymes and hand-play songs perfect for May.
From familiar, easy-to-sing melodies to ones that get kids moving, we’ve got a wide range—so try incorporating them into your daily childcare and parent-child time!
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Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs to enjoy in May! Perfect songs for the fresh green season (21–30)
All set and ready to go!NEW!nagata maya/hanada yuuichirou
In dazzlingly fresh May, many children are still getting used to their new daily rhythms.
This song will make getting ready in the morning and winding down before bed so much more fun! To lively, “all set!” cues, Yuichiro Hanada and Maya Nagata sing brightly.
Clap your hands or stomp your feet to the rhythmic beat, and even the hassle of getting dressed turns into play.
Originally aired on NHK Educational TV’s “Okaasan to Issho” as the Monthly Song for May 2023, this track is included on the album “Okaasan to Issho Latest Best: Junbi Bantantan!” released in October of the same year.
With this song cheering on your everyday “getting ready,” parents and kids are sure to prep with smiles! Be sure to sing it before you head out!
yomogi-jōbu noNEW!warabeuta asobi
When it comes to essential plants for Boys’ Day (Tango no Sekku), mugwort and iris come to mind—both believed to ward off evil with their strong fragrance.
Featuring these medicinal herbs, this piece is a seasonal children’s song that wishes for kids’ health and safety.
It’s characterized by a playful action of lightly tapping the backside with a bundled bunch of leaves, taking turns in rhythm—that’s the key! It’s filled with traditional wisdom of praying for protection and health through play.
The recording sung by Emiko Kobayashi is included on the album “Warabeuta de Asobō! Minna no Asobiuta,” released in December 2004, and it was also released in a digital version in August 2022.
It’s a short track of about 26 seconds, but try incorporating it into a moment of moving your bodies and laughing together as a parent and child, while wishing for healthy growth!
Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs to enjoy in May! Perfect songs for the fresh green season (31–40)
Close It, Open ItNEW!sakushisha fushou
In dazzlingly fresh May greenery, don’t you feel like getting active and playing with the kids? That’s when the perfect choice is that familiar hand-play song with the motions of opening and closing your hands.
Simple yet irresistibly engaging for children, its melody is actually said to have its roots in an opera by the French thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
In Japan, it became widely loved in its current form as a play song after being included in the May 1947 elementary school textbook First-Grade Music.
Its easy-to-remember rhythm and movements are also great for interacting with very young children who can’t speak yet.
How about trying it outdoors on a picnic, sitting face-to-face and playing together as parent and child?
Mysterious PocketNEW!Sakushi: Mado Michio / Sakkyoku: Watanabe Shigeru
A children’s song that sings of kids’ innocent wish: with every pat on their pocket, the treats keep multiplying.
Written by Michio Mado and composed by Shigeru Watanabe, this historic piece was first published in a magazine in September 1954.
The way the number increases with each pat makes you look forward to snack time on a field trip even more, doesn’t it? It has been widely loved, including a cover on idol group CoCo’s August 1993 release “Modern Doyō” and inclusion on a project album for the anime “Cheeky Fairy Mirmo!” Why not sing it with hand motions during a field trip or picnic as you feel the refreshing May breeze? If you prepare some biscuits and sing, the children’s smiles are sure to multiply too!
Number SongNEW!Sakushi: Yume Niji Ni / Sakkyoku: Kotani Hajime
May’s warm, sunny weather makes playing outside a joy.
Some children may start noticing that all kinds of numbers are hidden in the scenery around them.
This song imagines numbers as the shapes of unique things, making it a super fun way to learn numbers while playing! The lyrics are by Niji Yume, the music by Hajime Kotani, and it was released in 1957.
It’s said that Niji Yume got the idea when looking at a factory chimney and the moon, which looked like “10”—amazing that a discovery from everyday life became a song, isn’t it? It was also broadcast on NHK’s “Okaasan to Issho,” so many of you may already know it.
We recommend using your body and eyes to play together as a parent and child—try making number shapes with your fingers, or look for the items mentioned in the lyrics while you’re out on a walk!
What color do you like?NEW!Sakushi: Sakata Osamu / Sakkyoku: Inui Yuki
In dazzlingly green May, many children are probably enjoying playing outside and drawing, don’t you think? Perfect for this season is this classic song that celebrates the fun of choosing your favorite colors with crayons.
Written and composed by Osamu Sakata and arranged by Hiroki Inui, the piece was broadcast in June 1992 as NHK’s “Song of the Month” on Okaasan to Issho, and has been beloved for many years.
The lyrics are charming, as they ask about colors like “red” and “blue,” as if completing a single picture.
It’s also included on the album “Donna iro ga Suki,” released in May 1992, the same year it aired, and has become a staple in early childhood settings.
If your child is starting to take an interest in colors, why not fill a whole sheet of drawing paper together with your favorite hues and have some fun?
Panda Rabbit KoalaNEW!sakushi: takada hiroo / sakkyoku: inui hiroki
The fresh greenery of May feels great, and it’s the perfect season for a trip to the zoo, isn’t it? That’s when this song—featuring three kinds of animals appearing one after another—is perfect for parents and kids to sing and play together.
With lyrics by Hiroo Takada and music by Yuki Inui, it has been loved for many years, including being featured on the December 1990 album “NHK Okaasan to Issho Best 35.” Broadcast on NHK’s “Okaasan to Issho,” this piece is especially fun because you can imitate animals in time with the rhythmic calls! The simple choreography is easy to learn right away, making it perfect for getting everyone excited on a field trip bus or at a picnic.
Be sure to strike cute poses together and have fun!