[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!
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- Snow Songs to Enjoy in Winter! Children's Snow Nursery Rhymes & Hand-Play Songs
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[Childcare] Recommended Songs and Nursery Rhymes for November: Fun Autumn Finger-Play Songs (41–50)
Mr. Crab, Mr. CrabSakushi: Sakura Shichinin / Sakkyoku: Sakurada Seiichi
Crabs are often seen as a feast that brightens winter dining tables, but their peak season actually starts in November! So how about singing this crab-themed song together with the children? This piece was featured on “Minna no Uta,” and it tells the story of a horsehair crab-loving helmet crab.
The helmet crab in the lyrics goes through some tough, worldly experiences, but its determined, upbeat attitude—“Don’t give up, keep trying!!”—is inspiring and teaches children the importance of facing forward and doing their best.
Mr. Raccoon Dog of Genkotsu MountainSakushi: Kayama Yoshiko/Shokyoku: Komori Akihiro
Everyone knows “Genkotsu-yama no Tanukisan,” a classic hand-play song.
Around 1970, after it was sung on NHK’s children’s program “Okaasan to Issho,” it became popular all across Japan.
With its cute raccoon-dog theme, it’s a big hit with kids.
The motions of stacking your clenched fists and the lively choreography that matches the lyrics are also lots of fun.
If you’re teaching it to little children, have mom or dad guide their hands and help them with the movements first.
Tanuki-bayashi of Shojoji (The Raccoon Dogs’ Festival Drumming at Shojoji Temple)Sakushi: Noguchi Ujō / Sakkyoku: Nakayama Shinpei
Temples somehow give off an image of beautiful autumn leaves, don’t they? Here’s the nursery rhyme “Shojoji no Tanukibayashi,” perfect for November.
Just as the title suggests, the lyrics featuring tanuki (raccoon dogs) are wonderfully lively.
You can just picture lots of tanuki gathering and playing together.
You can try various gestures to match the lyrics—beckoning with your hands, patting your belly, and more.
By all means, get into character as a tanuki and have adults and children play together.
Apple rolling
A hand-play song where you sing the names of various fruits and vegetables to the tune of “Gu-Choki-Pa de Nani Tsukurou.” The familiar melody and the comical, pun-filled lyrics about foods are so cute.
Some children may even grow to like foods they’re not fond of by feeling closer to them through the hand-play song.
It’s perfect for kids who love sound effects, and it’s a hand-play song that lets them enjoy not only their favorite foods but even the ones they don’t like.
In conclusion
We introduced recommended songs, nursery rhymes, and hand games for November.
Did you find a song that the children are likely to enjoy? They all let you experience uniquely Japanese scenery and a sense of the seasons through music and play.
We hope not only children but adults as well will enjoy the deepening autumn season.