![[Childcare] Recommended songs and nursery rhymes for November: Fun autumn fingerplay songs](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/CD3BtN8WUUU/maxresdefault.webp)
[Childcare] Recommended songs and nursery rhymes for November: Fun autumn fingerplay songs
November is late autumn—the season of falling leaves—and a time when we start to feel winter approaching.
This time, we’ve gathered children’s songs and fingerplay songs with a November theme.
From pieces that evoke autumn scenery to songs that hint at the coming of winter, we’ll introduce plenty of sing-and-play fingerplay tunes!
They’re perfect for play at home, daycare, or kindergarten, so be sure to give them a try.
We’ve provided movement examples, but it’s also fun to arrange them in your own style!
Before the real cold sets in, let’s all sing and play together on these autumn days!
[Childcare] Recommended songs and nursery rhymes for November: Fun autumn fingerplay songs (1–10)
mushroomSakushi: Mado Michio / Sakkyoku: Kurakake Shōji
Isn’t the round shape of mushrooms cute? This children’s song, “Kinoko” (Mushroom), features fun choreography that captures that look.
Move your whole body to the bright, cheerful melody! Make a big circle with both hands and you’ve got a mushroom cap.
The moves are very simple, so people of any age can give it a try.
You can do it sitting down, but it’s also great to stand up and use plenty of space.
And if your child doesn’t like mushrooms, playing along with this song might just change their mind before you know it!
Yakiimo goo-choki-pasakushi: sakata hiroo / sakkyoku: yamamoto naozumi
This is a classic autumn song that has been broadcast for many years on the popular E-Tele program “Okaasan to Issho.” Those in the current parenting generation may have listened to it when they were little, too.
One of the song’s features is playing rock-paper-scissors at the end; it’s perfect not only as a hand-play song but also for teaching small children how to play rock-paper-scissors.
pine coneSakushi: Hirota Takao / Sakkyoku: Kobayashi Tsuyae
The song “Matsubokkuri,” which is also popular as a hand-play tune in nurseries and kindergartens, is a recommended hand-play song for indoor activities when the weather starts to get chilly.
The content is simple—the monkey eats a pinecone—but it’s a fun piece where children can imitate acorns and mountains, and act out the monkey eating the pinecone.
The song is very short and the hand movements are easy, so even infants can enjoy it.
little foxsakushi: Katsu Tsuguo
The song “Kogitsune,” known for its lyrics by Katsuo Masao, is based on the original piece “Fuchs, du hast die Gans gestohlen,” published in 1824 by Ernst Anschütz, a German educator and organist.
While the original lyrics are a bit frightening, Katsuo Masao’s version depicts a cute little fox spending time in the mountains from autumn to winter.
A gluttonous gorillaSakushi: Abe Naomi / Sakkyoku: Ozawa Tatsuyuki
The song “Gluttonous Gorilla” is about a hungry gorilla who keeps eating all the food it finds.
In this song, the gorilla’s reactions change depending on the food, so children can imitate it and show a variety of expressions.
Since it’s November, it might be fun to arrange it with an emphasis on autumn flavors! Children’s reactions vary, so it will surely be interesting.
maple leavesSakushi: Takano Tatsuyuki / Sakkyoku: Okano Teiichi
“Momiji,” a famous song many of you may know that was selected as one of Japan’s 100 best songs in 2007.
It’s said that the lyricist, Tatsuyuki Takano, gazed at the autumn leaves from Kumanodaira Station on the Shin’etsu Main Line at Usui Pass and was so captivated by their beauty that he wrote these lyrics.
This beautiful classic, still loved across generations, is a perfect song for November, when autumn turns to winter.
Enjoy singing it together in rounds with family and friends.
campfireSakushi: Tatsumi Seika / Sakkyoku: Watanabe Shigeru
“Takibi” (Bonfire) is a song that spread to kindergartens, nursery schools, and elementary schools nationwide after it was broadcast on the program Uta no Obasan in 1949.
Depicting the biting cold wind and people warming themselves by a bonfire, it’s one of those children’s songs that just about everyone knows.
It’s the kind of tune you find yourself humming when you feel the signs of winter.
As temperatures drop in November and we head into the heart of winter, be sure to give it a listen.