[Music Play] Children’s Recreational Music: Rec Songs You Can Sing and Play
We’re introducing playful songs and recreation songs that you can enjoy with children!
We’ve gathered a wide variety—from classic folk dance and campfire songs to rounds, hand-play songs, and playful tunes perfect for bus activities.
They’re all songs that everyone will say, “I’ve heard this before!” so you can use them for recreation with confidence.
The folk dance songs also come with choreography tutorial videos, so please use them as a reference.
Let’s sing together and have a wonderful time!
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- Kids will love it! A collection of dance song ideas with easy-to-follow rhythms
- Recommended for upper elementary grades! Exciting indoor recreation and games
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- [For Kids] Songs Perfect for Dancing at Christmas — A Full Roundup
- [Elementary School] Quick and Easy! Indoor Recreational Activities Perfect for Lower Grades
- Childcare: Today's recommended fun songs
- Funny songs recommended for kids: Japanese music that will make you laugh without even trying when you listen.
- [Rhythm Play] A roundup of popular cup songs
- Classic songs for musical chairs. A carefully curated selection of easy-to-walk-to, crowd-pleasing tracks.
- Get pumped with kids’ favorite songs! A memorable collection of classics that will make you want to sing along
[Music Play] Recreational Music for Children: Rec Songs You Can Sing and Play (1–10)
Where are you from?
“Antagata Dokosa,” beloved as a temari (handball) song, is a simple game you can enjoy during free time on field trips or at camp.
You bounce a ball to the rhythm, and whenever the syllable “sa” appears in the lyrics, you pass the ball under your leg.
別バージョンもあって、地面に「田」の漢字（米の田んぼ）を書き、下の2マスをリズミカルに行き来して、「さ」が来たら前のマスにジャンプするやり方です。
It’s nice that you can enjoy it in two ways, with or without a ball.
Give it a try in whichever style you prefer!
Mayim Mayim
“Mayim Mayim” is a staple of folk dance that many people have enjoyed dancing.
Composed by Emanuel Amiran, it is known as an Israeli folk song.
Dancers join hands to form a single circle, then dance by tightening and widening the circle and moving sideways.
“Mayim” means “water” in Hebrew, and the dance expresses the joy of discovering a water source in a dry region.
Therefore, the basic rule when dancing to this song is to have fun! Try expressing through the dance the joy of playing harmoniously with everyone and the joy of spending a happy time together.
Burn, burn.
Moero yo Moero is perfect for a roaring campfire with big flames.
It’s based on the French folk songs Clair de la lune and Au clair de la lune (Star Light, Gently and The End of the Day).
Set to a gentle melody, it expresses the wish for the campfire to blaze brightly and light up the dark night.
Opportunities to see large flames like a campfire up close are rare, so take it in with your eyes and engrave it as a page in your memories.
And be sure to include the memory of everyone singing this song together right alongside it!
[Music Play] Children's Recreational Music: Sing-and-Play Rec Songs (11–20)
Korobushka
Korobeiniki, a Russian folk song famous as a folk dance tune, is also well known in Japan for being used as the background music for Tetris.
Dancers form two concentric circles and face each other as they dance.
It’s a very active folk dance: you hold hands and move forward and back, step in rhythm, turn to the side while moving, and switch front-and-back positions.
As the music gradually speeds up, it becomes even more thrilling.
Since the choreography can be a bit tricky and there’s a lot of moving around, it’s best to practice before you dance.
It’s great fun when everyone moves in perfect sync, so give it a try and make some wonderful memories!
Camp da Hoi
Camp Dahoi is a perfect song for camping, written and composed by Mike Maki, who is active as a folk singer and actor.
The lyrics portray the joy of fully enjoying the sights and creatures you see for the first time at a campsite together with new friends.
There’s also a hand-play choreography to match the music, where you move both hands side to side like a big “banzai,” and use your hands to depict the scenery mentioned in the lyrics.
In the latter half of the song, it’s nice to hold hands with your friends, too! It’s the perfect song to deepen bonds with new friends while saying, “Looking forward to being friends from here on out.”
A quiet lakeside
This song was created in 1936 at the YMCA Nojiri Lake campsite, with lyrics by Takihiko Yamakita.
The melody is said to come either from the Swiss German children’s song “Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer” or the American nursery rhyme “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” In addition to being sung normally, it can be enjoyed in various ways, such as as a round.
Because this song is often used with parody lyrics in commercials and the like, many different words may spring to mind just from hearing the melody.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands
“If You’re Happy and You Know It” is a song that uses different parts of the body to make sounds and express happy feelings.
Based on the American folk song “If You’re Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands,” it became popular in Japan after Kyu Sakamoto sang it in 1964.
Using the body parts mentioned in the lyrics, you clap your hands like applause, stomp your feet loudly, and make various sounds.
By making big, bold sounds, you can energetically show just how happy you are right now!