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.
- Songs that hype you up just by listening—recommended tracks from timeless classics to the latest releases
- Get pumped with kids’ favorite songs! A memorable collection of classics that will make you want to sing along
- Exciting to listen to! A happy song that makes you feel good
- Kids will love it! A collection of dance song ideas with easy-to-follow rhythms
- [2026] Get Pumped Just by Listening! A Roundup of Recommended Popular J‑Pop Songs
- [2026] Fast-Rising Music: A Roundup of Trending Songs
- Childcare: Today's recommended fun songs
- Coming-of-age songs for your 50s: heart-thumping × heartwarming classics and popular tracks [2026]
- [Scout Songs] Classic & Popular Songs of the Boy Scouts
- Classic songs about boys. Recommended popular tracks.
- A collection of classic songs about friends: friendship songs for children
- [Hand Play] Popular with kids! A collection of trendy hand-play songs and nostalgic traditional children’s songs
- [Childcare] Recommended for sports day performances and dances! A collection of classic and popular songs
Timeless songs about play: Recommended popular tracks (41–50)
Churippu sharippuwarabe uta
Simple yet profound, this nursery rhyme captivates children’s hearts.
The part where everyone stands in a circle and calls each other’s names is perfect for nurturing communication skills and social development.
Its rhythmic lyrics and melody are fun and easy to memorize.
In preschools and kindergartens, it’s also used as an icebreaker to ease the nerves of new children.
At home, singing and playing it together as a family can make for a delightful time.
It can be enjoyed from infancy.
When the spring weather invites you outdoors, why not form a circle and sing it together?
Classic songs about play. Recommended popular songs (51–60)
Story FingerSakushi: Kayama Yoshiko / Sakkyoku: Yuyama Akira
The hand-play song “Ohanashi Yubisan,” which imagines the fingers as Dad and Mom, is a favorite among children.
Each finger’s characteristics are used, and each character has its own way of laughing, so if you sing with varied pitch for the voices, the kids will enjoy it even more! It’s fun to play with one hand, but it’s even more fun to play as if both hands are talking! As an arrangement, playing together with friends would really liven things up.
For the last baby finger, the children will probably imitate a baby when they sing, so you’ll get to see some very cute expressions!
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your handsSakamoto Kyu
“If You’re Happy and You Know It” is a classic fingerplay song everyone knows! Many parents probably learned it in nursery school or kindergarten.
The great thing about this game is that it’s fun whether you play alone, with one other person, or in a big circle.
You can enjoy parent-child bonding by facing each other and clapping hands, or patting each other’s shoulders.
Each action is simple, but if you gradually increase the difficulty by combining hands, feet, and shoulders, it will get even more exciting.
Happy ChildrenShinzawa Toshihiko
This song, created by Toshihiko Shinzawa and Hirotaka Nakagawa, is a bright dance tune themed around the power of children’s innocence and smiles to bring happiness to those around them.
With its light rhythm and memorable melody, it’s an easy-to-sing-and-dance-to track that kids can’t help but hum along to.
Released in 2001, the song has been loved by many for years and is widely used in educational settings and at events.
It’s also great to dance to together with nursery and kindergarten teachers!
What should I be when I grow up?
Ooki-kunattara Nanni Narou (“What Will I Be When I Grow Up?”) is another recommended fingerplay song that you can enjoy while letting your imagination grow.
First, you raise one finger, pretend it’s a syringe, and play the role of a doctor.
Next, you use two fingers as scissors and become a barber, then three fingers as a whisk to become a baker—adding more fingers each time to take on different jobs.
Children can watch with excitement, wondering, “What will I be next?” and it can also inspire them to think about their future dreams.
It fell, it fell.
Nostalgic and old-fashioned “Ochita Ochita,” a hand-clapping song that many adults probably played with when they were children.
It’s a simple, game-like hand play where you decide how to catch what “falls,” and that’s the fun of it.
If it’s an apple, you can catch it with your hands; if it’s a doll, cradle it gently.
And when lightning falls—yes—make the gesture of hiding your belly button.
It’s fun to throw in the lightning right when everyone’s forgotten about it!
Department store with the penguin logo
How about a fun fingerplay song for kids featuring a penguin-brand department store? In this song, you go floor by floor through the store, with different shops making an appearance, making it a delightful experience.
Children act out the lyrics with hand movements and gestures, which nurtures their imagination and physical expression.
They’ll be excited each time to see which shop comes next.
It’s popular with middle and older kindergarten classes, and combining it with a sketchbook theater or panel theater makes it even more enjoyable!