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!
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Recommended children's songs and hand-play songs for October! Music time in childcare that feels like autumn (71–80)
Elephant’s hat
“Zō-san no Bōshi” (The Elephant’s Hat) is a children’s song with lyrics by Kozo Endo and music by Hiroaki Nakamura that’s very popular with kids! It’s a cute song about various animals fitting inside an elephant’s big hat.
In nurseries and kindergartens, they seem to enjoy it using panel theater.
It’s exciting to wonder which animal will go in next! Since the children have their own hats, some of them might even try stuffing animal dolls into theirs.
The Bento Bus
This song, “Obento Bus,” imagines a bus as a lunch box, with vegetables and fruits—the side dishes—boarding one after another.
It’s an adorable song that kids are sure to enjoy! It’s perfect before a field trip or sports day when you need a packed lunch.
You can also change the vegetables and fruits in the lyrics to the side dishes you want to eat.
If each child sings their own version freely, it’ll become a song that showcases their individuality.
wild chrysanthemum
The children’s song “Nogiku” lets you feel the comforts of autumn.
Released in 1942 as a Ministry of Education song, it depicts wild chrysanthemums blooming proudly in autumn fields and hills, with a gentle and beautiful melody.
It’s a piece that invites you to picture wild chrysanthemums basking in autumn sunlight and scenic autumn landscapes as you listen.
It could be nice to talk about the features of wild chrysanthemums and the autumn scenery bathed in soft sunlight, incorporating simple hand motions as a play song.
The lyrics describe pale purple wild chrysanthemums—try looking up images and enjoying the hand-play song while viewing the flowers, whether at preschool or at home.
Recommended Nursery Rhymes & Fingerplay Songs for October! Autumn-Themed Music Time in Early Childhood Education (81–90)
Village Autumn
Selected for the “100 Best Japanese Songs” and included in elementary school music textbooks for many years, the children’s song Sato no Aki is a piece that symbolizes autumn.
It was originally composed to encourage soldiers returning from the front and demobilized troops, but after changes to the lyrics, it has come to be loved as a song depicting the gentle scenery of autumn in Japan.
In nursery schools and kindergartens, more upbeat songs are usually chosen.
Once in a while, though, it might be nice to take the opportunity to sing a calm, long-cherished Japanese song like Sato no Aki with simple hand motions.
In conclusion
Autumn children’s songs offer a warm time that both kids and adults can enjoy together.
As the trees begin to turn colors, the hand-play songs learned in daycare and kindergarten, along with the October nursery songs passed down through generations, are filled with a tenderness that touches the heart.
Savor the autumn with children, weaving memories together through your singing.