Recommended children's songs and hand play songs for October! Music time in childcare that feels like autumn.
The season of children’s songs that warmly embrace the heart in October has arrived.
Crimson dragonflies at dusk, cosmos flowers, golden rice ready for harvest, and children going out to collect acorns and fallen leaves… Scenes that color autumn in Japan are beautifully depicted in the lyrics and melodies of these songs.
In this article, we introduce autumn children’s songs beloved in early childhood settings, as well as seasonal finger-play songs you can enjoy with kids.
Please sing these autumn songs—cherished across generations—together with your loved ones, children and adults alike!
Recommended nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs for October! Music time in childcare that feels like autumn (1–10)
pine cone
“Matsubokkuri” is a children’s song with lyrics by Takao Hirota and music by Tsuyae Kobayashi.
As you may know, it’s a very short tune about a monkey eating a pine cone.
It’s also popular with children and is known as a hand-play song in kindergartens and nursery schools.
When you spot pine cones on an autumn walk, you can’t help but start singing it.
The monkey seems to be eating the seeds inside, but decorating with pine cones or playing with them in water is fun, too!
I found a little sign of autumn.
Chiisai Aki Mitsuketa (I Found a Little Autumn) is a song composed in 1955 as one of the pieces for NHK’s special program Autumn Festival.
The lyrics were written by Hachiro Sato and the music was composed by Yoshinao Nakada.
There are many ways to interpret the lyrics, but simply following the words to discover the feeling of autumn also sounds enjoyable.
While the melody may feel a bit melancholy for children to sing, it is a very beautiful classic of autumn.
Please give it a listen.
There’s no such thing as ghosts.
Obake Nante Naisa is a song that’s often sung in summer, but with Halloween, it’s also a great pick for October.
It’s a song about a slightly timid child who insists, “There’s no such thing as ghosts!” while still thinking about what to do if one appears.
It’s very popular with children, so give it a try! Lyrics by Minori Maki, music by Akira Mine.
sports day
There are many songs for children’s sports days, and this one is Undokai (“Sports Day”), with lyrics by Sachio Mitsukoshi and music by Yasushi Kihara.
It’s a fun song that conveys the enthusiasm of the Red Team and the White Team for the event.
It’s apparently also sung at nursery school and kindergarten sports days.
By singing this song, we hope both the Red and White teams do their best.
If you want to boost kids’ motivation for sports day, this song is highly recommended!
Yakiimo goo-choki-pa
When autumn comes, you start craving delicious roasted sweet potatoes, don’t you? “Yakiimo Goo-Choki-Paa” is a song themed around roasted sweet potatoes that kids love.
The lyrics are by Hiroo Sakata, and the music is by Naozumi Yamamoto.
As the title suggests, you can play rock-paper-scissors along with this song.
When you’re competing for the last roasted sweet potato, it might be fun to use this song to decide the winner!
Potato Digging Song
Perfect for the autumn season, this song is a children’s tune about the fun of digging sweet potatoes.
Set to a bright and cheerful melody, it depicts children experiencing potato digging.
The call-and-response chant “Untokosho, dokkoisho” is memorable and really livens things up when everyone sings together! It’s often sung at autumn events and harvest festivals, and its simple, easy-to-remember lyrics make it enjoyable even for very young children.
Singing it before a potato-digging outing is a fun way for everyone to share the excitement.
dragonfly glasses
“Tonbo no Megane” (Dragonfly Glasses) is a children’s song that depicts an autumn scene and is widely known by people of all ages.
It’s a quintessential song for the fall season.
The lyrics, told from a child’s perspective, can capture the interest of children who may not be used to seeing dragonflies up close.
While it’s famous as a nursery song, adding hand play makes it even more enjoyable than just singing.
You can form circles with your fingers to mimic glasses, or use hand motions to express dragonflies flying through the autumn sky.
