A collection of classic nursery rhymes and hand-play songs for September! Enjoy autumn with your child through songs.
With the refreshing autumn breeze comes a cool season filled with children’s smiles.
During such delightful autumn days, why not incorporate songs and fingerplay that are perfect for the season into life with the children? In fact, there are many children’s songs for September that gently depict autumn scenes, such as ginkgo leaves, chestnuts, and moon-viewing.
Here, we will introduce a wide range of songs that will be useful in September childcare—from pieces that express autumn landscapes like moon-viewing and autumn foliage to fingerplay songs.
Be sure to find songs that let you enjoy the season together with the children while experiencing the ambiance of autumn.
- [Children’s Songs of Autumn] Autumn songs, school songs, and traditional children’s rhymes. A collection of classic pieces to sing in autumn.
- Recommended children's songs and hand play songs for October! Music time in childcare that feels like autumn.
- Song of the Maple Leaves. An autumn children’s song/nursery rhyme/folk song
- Children’s songs and nursery rhymes about the moon
- [Childcare] Recommended songs and nursery rhymes for November: Fun autumn fingerplay songs
- A collection of classic nursery rhymes and hand-play songs for September! Enjoy autumn with your child through songs.
- Songs to Listen to in September: Popular J-POP Tracks That Capture the End of Summer and Early Autumn
- [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
- Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs to enjoy in May! Songs perfect for the fresh green season
- [Autumn Songs] Songs of autumn. Classic tracks and popular favorites you’ll want to listen to in the fall.
- Recommended Autumn Songs for People in Their 80s: A Collection of Seasonal Kayōkyoku and Children's Songs
- Children’s songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes about insects
Collection of Classic Nursery Rhymes & Fingerplay Songs for September! Enjoy Autumn with Your Kids Through Songs (21–30)
Meat buns and sweet bean paste buns
When you feel the chill of autumn, you sometimes get the urge to eat a steamed pork bun, don’t you? This fingerplay song, “Nikuman Anman,” is a cute little tune that’s perfect for times like that.
In addition to nikuman (meat buns) and anman (sweet red bean paste buns), the lyrics feature all sorts of other “—man” buns.
If you’re a child, this song might spark an interest in the different “—man” buns sold at convenience stores! The choreography includes many simple moves that even little kids can do, like squishing your cheeks and blowing a kiss.
Dango, dango, they stuck together.
This is a hand-clapping song with simple hand choreography.
The moves are quite easy, so children around kindergarten age should be able to do them.
As the title suggests, it’s about a dumpling made with a clenched fist that sticks to your cheek and won’t come off.
It’s a delightful hand-play song that sparks imagination, with gestures like forming a dumpling with your hands and pretending it won’t come off.
maple leavesSakushi: Takano Tatsuyuki / Sakkyoku: Okano Teiichi
Maple leaves that create Japan’s beautiful autumn scenery.
When you see the brilliant, vivid reds, if you’re Japanese, you can’t help but feel glad to have been born in Japan.
“Momiji,” a song that celebrates the beauty of autumn leaves, is a classic song of the season! It’s perfect for group singing or ensemble performances during this arts-filled time of year.
When you sing it, try to picture Japan’s stunning autumn foliage.
After singing, you’ll definitely feel like going out to see the autumn leaves in person.
spool (of thread); winding thread; Itomaki (traditional toy spinning top), depending on context
The song Itomaki, where you roll your hands in circles like winding thread.
As you pull the thread and tap-tap with your hands, you make all sorts of things.
In the original lyrics, it’s about making shoes for little people, but feel free to change what you make! Try making anything you can create with thread in the hand play—like a hat or a bag.
You can also use the same melody to sow seeds and make a wheat field, or light a fire and make soup!
gluttonous gorilla
As the title “Gluttonous Gorilla” suggests, it’s a fun song where a gorilla finds lots of foods, peels them, and the lyrics change depending on the food.
While bananas are the classic gorilla pick, lemons and onions also make an appearance here.
Each gorilla’s reaction is amusing, and beyond those three, you can even create your own original versions with other foods.
Where is this mushroom?
“Doko no Kono Kinoko,” with lyrics by Morichiyoko and music by Zahatorte, is a song that became popular among children after being featured on NHK’s early childhood program “Okaasan to Issho.” Despite its surreal vibe, it’s an exciting song that sparks the imagination, with mushrooms flying through the sky, falling into the sea, and going on adventures.
Autumn is mushroom season, so it might be fun to dance while singing this tune.
Even kids who don’t like mushrooms are sure to enjoy this song!
Konkon fox
Make a fox by putting your index finger and little finger to your ear and shaping a mouth with the remaining fingers! It’s a very simple fox you make with your hands—surely you’ve made it before! Make a fox with each hand, and at first have them appear one at a time.
Each fox goes to call the other, and in the end the two are together.
Once they’re together, that’s the beginning of the story! This is a song you sing as preparation before starting a story.
When you place your fox-shaped hands on your lap, let’s listen quietly to the fun story!