Masterpieces that sing about play. Recommended popular songs.
We’ve put together a collection of songs themed around childhood games like hide-and-seek, marbles, swings, and paper airplanes.
Packed with bittersweet nostalgia for the games everyone has experienced and the tender, aching feelings of childhood, this playlist is full of heart-tugging tracks.
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Timeless songs about play: Recommended popular tracks (41–50)
Rhythm Game ‘The Greengrocer’
The hand game “Yaoya-san” (The Greengrocer) is a rhythm game where you clap only when you hear the name of something that a greengrocer sells.
It can be tricky to instantly judge whether an item would be sold at a greengrocer or not, but it gets fun once you try it.
To help the children listen closely, you can vary the strength and accent of your words, or say similar-sounding words that are easy to confuse—those twists should make it even more enjoyable.
Play song ‘On the Bus’Sakushi/Sakkyoku: Taniguchi Kunihiro
When it comes to things little kids love, both boys and girls, vehicles like cars and buses are at the top of the list.
This is perfect for children who love going out or often draw buses and cars in their pictures.
This song is a fun activity where you sit side by side with your child and pretend to drive a bus with simple motions.
You can also place the child on someone’s lap and bounce your legs to mimic the bus’s vibrations—kids will be delighted.
It’s a great recommendation for rainy days or times when you can’t go outside.
Shopping at the bakerySakushi: Sakura Tomoko / Sakkyoku: Ozawa Tatsuyuki
While playing both the customer and the baker, you can enjoy a fun hand-play activity set in a bakery—perhaps a relatively new song in the hand-play repertoire.
As you rhythmically act it out, you express different types of bread through gestures.
It might also be fun to come up with new kinds of bread yourselves and add corresponding gestures.
The fish jumps.
“Sakana ga Hanete” is a classic hand-play song that children love.
In addition to moving their hands to the music, you can adapt it to use familiar items like hats, masks, and gloves to help check for forgotten belongings.
You could also change the items that “stick” to different parts of the body—for example, a ribbon, crown, or straw hat on the head, sunglasses or a telescope for the eyes, and on pool days, goggles would be fun too.
Incorporating seasonal items will make it even more exciting!
From inside the bamboo grove
A simple yet rhythmic melody, combined with hand-play and rock-paper-scissors, makes this an ideal song for nurturing children’s imagination and sense of rhythm.
In educational settings, it also helps improve communication skills, and its appeal spans all ages.
Passed down orally, the piece features subtle regional variations that reflect local character and culture—an interesting point in itself.
It is widely used in nursery schools and kindergartens and is beloved as a staple for hand-play songs and rock-paper-scissors games.
Hand game ‘The Hill Where Mandarin Blossoms’
“Mikan no Hana Saku Oka” is cherished as one of Japan’s representative children’s songs.
Why not try a hand play activity themed on this warm, uplifting piece that encouraged Japan after the war? While singing lyrics that depict rich natural scenery, face each other and perform the hand play.
The choreography is distinctive for incorporating a variety of movements with both hands.
Move your hands calmly to the slow, three-beat rhythm.
Once you get used to it, it might be fun to gradually increase the speed of the hand play.
Try incorporating this song, which portrays relationships with loved ones, into childcare settings.
The Bento Box Songwarabeuta
Many of you have probably sung this at least once.
As you pack ingredients into a lunch box, it’s a playful hand game where children can learn vegetable names and numbers while having fun.
When you’re making it for a big elephant, sing at a relaxed tempo; for a tiny ant, sing faster and more rhythmically—babies are likely to listen with interest.
It’s sure to be a hit if you change the lunch box size or ingredients and sing with your own variations! It’s also great as an introduction to a field trip.
