[Children's Songs] Cute songs recommended for childcare. List of popular nursery rhymes.

Which child is a good child?warabeuta

May children’s song “Which child is the good child”

When children get together to play, do you ever wonder how to decide who’s “it” or who goes next? That’s exactly when this traditional children’s rhyme comes in handy.

You point to each child in turn in time with the rhythm, and the one chosen at the end becomes the next role—or gets a big hug—so everyone can enjoy both the thrill and the comfort it brings! It was also included on the album “NHK Nihongo de Asobo: Warabe-uta,” released in February 2007, and became widely known after being featured in segments of an educational TV program.

In dazzlingly green May, try forming a circle at a park on your walk or indoors, and enjoy the pleasant rhythm together with friends or as a parent and child.

Zebra SwirlSakushi: Endou Kouzou / Sakkyoku: Inui Hiroki

[With Mother] Zebra Guruguru | Popular Kids' Song Sung by a Nursery Teacher: Children's Songs

With the balmy weather in May, it’s the perfect season for a fun trip to the zoo! A great recommendation for times like these is a delightful hand-play song themed around zebra stripes.

Written by Kozo Endo and composed by Hiroki Inui, this piece is full of unique wordplay in which you whirl and peel off the zebra’s stripes and transform it into another animal.

The song began being featured around 1982 on NHK’s children’s program “Okaasan to Issho,” and it was also included on a CD released in March 2000, making it a long-loved favorite across generations.

It’s great fun to mimic the motions of taking off and putting on the stripes to the lively rhythm! Whether on the bus ride to the zoo or during time at home, singing it together as a parent and child and laughing yourselves silly could be just the thing!

Come see me, Little Red Riding Hood!Keroponzu・Fukuda Ryūzō・Suzuki Tsubasa

Come See Me, Little Red Riding Hood! / Keropons, Ryuzo Fukuda, Tsubasa Suzuki

Here’s a song that playfully sings the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood from a fun, pop perspective, titled “Come See Me, Little Red Riding Hood!” Rather than a traditional tale, it feels more like an anime with a pleasant rhythm and lyrics sprinkled with modern expressions.

Even the wolf’s appearance isn’t scary at all, and there’s a sing-along section, making it super approachable.

It’s a powerful, happy piece overflowing with energy that lifts not only kids but adults too.

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Song of a Little BirdKato Ichika / Kinjo Narumi

♪ Little Bird Song (with hand motions)

A charming song that everyone can enjoy by mimicking the chirps that herald the arrival of spring.

It depicts little birds calling for their mothers and fathers with song, and their endearing presence warms the heart.

If you shape a beak with your hands and move them to the rhythm, you can play as if you’ve become a little bird yourself.

This children’s song is performed by Ichika Kato and Narumi Kinjo, popular on the educational YouTube channel, and is included on albums such as “BonBon Academy: Songs of Spring,” to be released in April 2025.

Long cherished at BonBon Academy, operated by Kodansha, this song is perfect for March, when children graduate from preschool or move up a grade, and for parents and kids heading out on a springtime stroll.

Humming it under the warm sunshine will make children’s smiles shine even brighter.

A bamboo shoot has sprouted.warabeuta asobi

May’s nursery rhyme “Takenoko Medashita”

A children’s hand-play song that vividly expresses the growth of bamboo shoots, which are in season from spring to early summer.

Through hand motions, kids enjoy the story of a sprout emerging from the soil, a flower blooming with a pop, and finally being snipped with scissors.

Because the rock-paper-scissors hand shapes—fist, scissors, and open hand—are naturally built into the actions, it’s also perfect for helping children learn the rules of the game.

Though it’s a traditional folk song passed down through generations, its introduction on children’s programs like those on NHK has helped it become a familiar group activity in preschools and kindergartens.

It typically ends with everyone chanting “Essa, essa!” together and deciding the winner with rock-paper-scissors.

On a fresh May day under the blue sky, get moving energetically with your family and friends!

cream stewSakushi: Abe Megumi / Sakkyoku: Nakagori Toshihiko

Cream Stew [Hand Play]

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?

The Bento Box SongSakushi: Kayama Yoshiko/Shokyoku: Komori Akihiro

[Hand Play Song] The Bento Box Song [With Choreography]

This is a very fun fingerplay song where you pack rice balls and all kinds of side dishes into a bento box.

Vegetables like carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and burdock root appear one after another, and moving your hands as you sing makes it feel like you’re really making a bento—so exciting! This piece is an arrangement of an existing playground song that Yoshiko Kayama and Akihiro Komori turned into a wonderful tune.

It became widely known after being featured on a program in the Nippon TV network.

Singing it while preparing a bento with your child might just make your usual routine feel even more special.