[Children's Songs] Cute songs recommended for childcare. List of popular nursery rhymes.
Kids love to sing!
Singing is a form of exercise, nurtures interest in language, and helps develop expressiveness and a sense of rhythm.
It’s also said that singing releases “happy hormones,” making it effective for relieving stress.
Bring plenty of music into daily life and sing freely together with your children.
This time, we’re introducing popular children’s songs we’d love you to sing and play with your kids!
We’ve collected everything from classic nursery rhymes passed down through the years to the latest hit songs.
You can search songs by category—animals, vehicles, food, and more—so you’re sure to find the perfect tune for your children.
If you add simple choreography or hand-play motions as well as singing, the kids will be thrilled!
Be sure to explore a variety of nursery rhymes and enjoy happy times with your children!
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Fairy Tale Songs (1–10)
Zebra SwirlNEW!Sakushi: Endou Kouzou / Sakkyoku: Inui Hiroki
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!
Song of a Little BirdKato Ichika / Kinjo Narumi
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.
Ushiwakamaru
When people hear “Ushiwakamaru,” they often think of the famous children’s song about his duel with Musashibō Benkei on the Gojō Bridge.
However, this song recounts the exploits of Ushiwakamaru—Minamoto no Yoshitsune—from his training on Mount Kurama all the way to the Battle of Dan-no-ura.
It’s a perfect children’s song for learning history!
Urashima Tarorainbow moon
Many old tales end with “they lived happily ever after,” but some people seem to dislike this story because it ends poorly.
This piece stays faithful to the content of the Urashima Taro legend.
It vividly depicts the glittering splendor of the Dragon Palace, so please be sure to let them listen to it!
MomotaroOkanoteiichi
This is a song that turns the famous folktale Momotaro into music, and little children love it.
I think most people know the first verse, but there are actually lyrics up to the second verse.
The second verse is quite intense, so it seems that people mostly only sing up to the first verse, but singing just the first verse is enough for everyone to enjoy.