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!
- [Childcare] Recommended songs and nursery rhymes for November: Fun autumn fingerplay songs
- [Children’s Songs of Autumn] Autumn songs, school songs, and traditional children’s rhymes. A collection of classic pieces to sing in autumn.
- A collection of classic nursery rhymes and hand-play songs for September! Enjoy autumn with your child through songs.
- Song of the Maple Leaves. An autumn children’s song/nursery rhyme/folk song
- [Hand Play] Popular with kids! A collection of trendy hand-play songs and nostalgic traditional children’s songs
- [For Seniors] Autumn Songs That Touch the Heart: From Nostalgic Children’s Songs and School Songs to Showa-Era Kayōkyoku
- [Autumn Classics] Japanese Songs to Listen to and Sing in October: A Curated Selection of Beloved, Heartfelt Hits
- December children's songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes: fun winter hand-play songs
- Children’s songs and nursery rhymes about the moon
- Recommended for daycare activities! A Halloween song you can sing and play with
- [Autumn Songs] Songs of autumn. Classic tracks and popular favorites you’ll want to listen to in the fall.
- Songs to Listen to in September: Popular J-POP Tracks That Capture the End of Summer and Early Autumn
- Popular Autumn Songs Ranking [2026]
Recommended Nursery Rhymes & Finger-Play Songs for October! Autumn-Themed Music Time in Preschool (41–50)
Chubby Potato-chan and Tiny Potato-chan
“Debu-imo-chan Chibi-imo-chan” with lyrics by Mado Michio and music by Akira Yuyama.
It’s a song about a slightly plump potato and a small potato.
It depicts what the potatoes were doing underground and helps expand children’s imaginations.
If you ask at the end of the song, “If everyone were potatoes, what would you do underground?” you’re likely to get some delightful answers.
oden (Japanese stew with assorted ingredients such as daikon radish, tofu, fish cakes, and eggs simmered in a light soy-based broth)
Oden is a hand-play song that combines the delicious winter dish “oden” with simple hand movements.
The ingredients in oden actually include lots of shapes like circles, triangles, and squares.
It’s a song that even children who can’t speak yet can enjoy, so we recommend first listening to it repeatedly.
For the circle, triangle, and square gestures, teachers at nurseries and kindergartens, as well as parents and children together, should try them in a hand-play style.
It’s even more fun if you sing while imagining a tasty bowl of oden!
Piglet-raccoon dog-fox-cat
This is the popular autumn hand-play song for children, “Kobuta Tanuki Kitsune Neko”! Kids imitate the animals that appear in the lyrics and copy their sounds as they play.
It’s very simple and fun to watch, so even infants can enjoy it.
When playing this song with preschoolers, try speeding it up as they get used to it.
It’s also fun to see who can keep up!
Apple rolling
Besides apples, various other foods appear in the hand-play song “Ringo Korokoro.” It’s a tune that infant and toddler classes are likely to enjoy, with movements themed to each food—shouting “Kyaa!” for cabbage, rubbing your arms for corn, and so on.
All the actions are simple enough for little ones to imitate, so try it out before mealtimes, for example.
The pose where the green pepper is crying—maybe that’s because many kids don’t like green peppers (haha).
The Bear of the Forest
This song, well-known and beloved by many, is a children’s song based on an American folk tune.
It is a classic example of what’s called an echo song, where the group enjoys repeating the same lyrics in response to a leader’s call.
In Japan, it became widely known after being broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” in 1972.
The song hides various charms, including lyrics that may seem curious at first glance.
Many parody versions have been created, and it’s often used in commercials as well.
bento box (sandwich)
Here’s the sandwich version of the popular hand-play song for children, “Obentōbako”! It seems not many people know about it—did you? These days, lots of kids say they prefer sandwiches over rice balls.
In that case, be sure to sing and play along with this one too.
If you sing it before a field trip, it’ll make the excitement grow even more!
bonfire
Often sung in daycare centers and kindergartens, this song is memorable for its gentle melody and the heartwarming scene of gathering around a bonfire.
It spread nationwide after being broadcast on “Uta no Obasan” in 1949.
The vocal range is tailored to children’s voices, so kids of any age can sing it comfortably.
On a chilly autumn day, singing it together as a family and moving your bodies will warm both heart and body in no time.
As temperatures drop in October heading into winter, be sure to give it a listen.