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)
The Hungry Tummy Songsakushi: sakata hiroo / sakkyoku: onaka megumi
When you’re dashing around full of energy amid the fresh greenery, it’s easy to work up an appetite in May! That’s when this children’s song—humorously portraying the hunger everyone feels—fits perfectly.
With lyrics by Hiroo Sakata and music by Megumi Oonaka, it was first published in a magazine in October 1960 and gained popularity after being broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” in August 1962.
The image of a growling stomach so empty it feels like your belly and back might stick together makes kids laugh, and its lively, singable melody is part of the charm.
The choice of calling mother “kaachan” also conveys a sense of warmth at home.
When you’ve played so much that you’re absolutely starving, or right before school lunch, singing it might make the meal taste even better! Enjoy singing it during activities at preschool or on picnics, and have fun turning even hunger into a song!
cream stewSakushi: Abe Megumi / Sakkyoku: Nakagori Toshihiko
When it comes to hand-play songs that make the process of cooking something delicious fun, this is the one! You can use your whole body to show preparing ingredients, stir-frying, and simmering, so kids are sure to love it.
Written by Megumi Abe and composed by Toshihiko Nakagōri, this piece is perfect for a bit of food education or a quick activity before school lunch, helping children learn vegetable names and mimic cooking movements.
Since being included in Abe’s book “Teasobi Uta Asobi,” published in June 1998, it has been cherished for many years in early childhood education settings.
If everyone pretends to cook together and then strikes a finishing pose at the end, you can share a sense of accomplishment.
How about enjoying a make-believe delicious stew with family and friends while feeling the refreshing May breeze?
Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs to enjoy in May! Perfect songs for the fresh green season (31–40)
Mysterious PocketSakushi: 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!
What color do you like?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?
Cradle SongSakushi: Kitahara Hakushū / Sakkyoku: Kusakawa Shin
Lullaby of the Cradle is a perfect song for May, when we celebrate Mother’s Day—a piece that lets you feel a gentle mother’s lullaby.
The lyrics were written by Hakushu Kitahara, who penned many famous children’s songs such as Amefuri and Chakkiri-bushi.
The time a baby spends in a cradle is very short and passes in the blink of an eye.
But even after leaving the cradle, the tender lullaby a mother once sang remains as a warm memory in the heart.
Along with the gentle scenes surrounding the cradle, this song evokes the comforting memories we felt as babies.
In 2011, Rimi Natsukawa released a heartwarming rendition of the song accompanied by shamisen.
yomogi-jōbu nowarabeuta 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!
Number SongSakushi: 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!