Snow Songs to Enjoy in Winter! Children's Snow Nursery Rhymes & Hand-Play Songs
Songs about snow you’ll want to hum along to with your children in winter.There are so many heartwarming classics among winter children’s songs loved in elementary schools, daycare centers, and kindergartens that depict snowy scenes.Many of you may be thinking, “I want to sing while watching the snow fall,” or “I’m looking for songs to use for seasonal events.”So in this article, we introduce a wide range of children’s songs and winter tunes related to snow that you can enjoy with kids.From timeless favorites that have long been loved to songs you can pair with hand plays, we’ve gathered them all—find your new favorite!
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Snow songs to enjoy in winter! Snow nursery rhymes and hand-play songs for children (41–50)
Winter nightMonbushō shōka
This is a Ministry of Education song published in the Third-Year Edition of Elementary School Songs.
The lyricist and composer are unknown.
It depicts a harsh winter with blizzards raging and everything covered in snow.
In an era when there wasn’t even radio, let alone television, it portrays the scene of a family gathering closely around the hearth, enjoying time together.
Snow Songs to Enjoy in Winter! Children's Snow Nursery Rhymes & Hand-Play Songs (51–60)
Tonight is a happy Christmas.
Aramaki Shake’s “Tonight Is a Joyful Christmas” is a hand-play song filled with Christmas items that get kids excited.
It also features fun words related to colors like “red,” “white,” and “brown,” as well as words that describe shapes such as “triangle” and “round.” It can be fun to add your own second and third verses and tweak the parts that describe colors and shapes.
With its relaxed, simple melody, it’s easy for little ones to learn—so give it a try!
Knock knock knock, Christmas
This is the Christmas version of a famous fingerplay song often sung at kindergartens and daycare centers.
It’s usually sung as “Hige Jiisan” or “Anpanman,” but this version features a reindeer and Santa.
If you start singing “Ton ton ton ton,” the children will probably say, “I know that one!” I wonder what expressions they’ll make when they realize it’s a Christmas song!
Hitotsu to ya
This song, loved for many years as a traditional Japanese children’s song, uses the numbers from one to twelve to depict New Year scenes and children at play.
It features a simple melody and rhythmical, alliterative lyrics, and is also known as a handball (temari) song that children can sing while playing.
It’s interesting that the lyrics and melody vary by region and era.
It was reportedly recorded on SP records in the early Showa period.
More recently, it was even referenced in the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
It’s especially nice to sing together as a family in winter, particularly around the New Year.
It’s also a great opportunity to experience traditional Japanese culture.
Christmas tree
How about a hand play song that incorporates onomatopoeia kids love? Words associated with Christmas, like “candle” and “Santa,” heighten the sense of excitement, and actions like blowing with a “fwooo” or smiling with a “niko” naturally draw children in.
At the same time, it can also deepen their understanding of words for numbers, such as “first” and “second.” A slow tempo helps create a calm atmosphere, making it easy to enjoy the hand play song with a gentle feeling.
Mr. Penguin’s Mountain Climb
It’s a perfect fingerplay song to enjoy the winter season with children.
Using hands and fingers to act out penguins and polar bears climbing up and sliding down icy hills makes it ideal for parent–child interaction.
Its rhythmic, cheerful melody is sure to capture children’s hearts.
It’s reportedly widely used in early childhood settings as well, so it might be considered a winter classic.
Choreography videos are available on platforms like YouTube, making it easy to enjoy at home, too.
To make the cold season more fun, why not sing and play together as a family?
winter song
This song is a children’s tune that was broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” from December 1971 to January 1972.
Even if the title doesn’t ring a bell, many people will probably think “Oh, that one!” when they hear the melody.
It’s based on a Bulgarian children’s song composed by Hristo Nedyalkov with lyrics by Dimitar Spasov.
The Japanese lyrics were written by Tomoko Nakayama, a translator and children’s literature author.
The onomatopoeic lyrics make it a very fun song, and it seems this part appears in the original as well.
