[Childcare] Summer songs: Full of fun! Summer nursery rhymes & finger-play songs
When the rainy season ends, summer finally arrives! Here, we’ll introduce a variety of children’s songs to help you enjoy the season.
We’ve gathered songs that kids love, as well as hand-play songs often sung in nurseries and kindergartens.
Listening to these songs will make you look forward to the long-awaited summer even more.
Hand-play songs are also fun for little ones, so be sure to incorporate them into your childcare activities.
While the days will be getting hotter, some children’s songs can make you feel cooler just by listening.
Enjoy a fun-filled summer together with the children!
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[Childcare] Summer Songs. Full of Fun! Summer Nursery Rhymes & Hand-Clapping Games (1–10)
Ponchararin on a moonlit night
It’s a lively ondo song featuring a variety of animals.
The rhythm moves at a comfortable pace, packed with a fun energy that makes you want to move your body.
You can enjoy imagining the movements of raccoon dogs, rabbits, and fireflies.
The instrumentation is cleverly arranged, and the layered sounds create a distinctly summery atmosphere.
The dance choreography is easy to learn, so even children new to Bon Odori can quickly join the circle and have fun.
Through both song and dance, this piece evokes the bustle of a nighttime scene.
As an ondo that colors summer festival memories, it’s beloved by many children.
Mitsuya Cider
The educational duo Mana & Yuu—Mana Onochi (known as “Mana”) and Yuki Hamasaki (known as “Yuu”)—run the popular educational YouTube channel “Manayuu Channel,” which features lots of children’s songs and hand-play activities that kids can enjoy.
This time, with summer as the theme, let’s introduce a song about Mitsuya Cider, the first beverage that comes to mind for many when thinking of summer.
The cute choreography that expresses the fizzy carbonation is sure to delight children.
The lyrics also include counting—one, two, three—so it’s great for helping little ones learn numbers.
Yokai Shiritorisakushi: okuhara yume/sakkyoku: tane tomoko
The yokai challenge the so-called “Yokai Professor,” who supposedly knows everything about monsters, to a shiritori showdown…
Set to a slightly eerie minor key and a thumping, resonant bassline, the rapid-fire, rhythmic string of yokai names somehow makes your heart race with excitement.
From the smug opening that screams confidence, you can gradually see them getting cornered and flustered, and when they finally lose and sulk, the yokai are irresistibly cute and endearing.
It’s a song you’ll want to sing together while bantering with your kids.
[Childcare] Summer Songs. Full of Fun! Summer Nursery Rhymes & Hand-Clapping Songs (11–20)
Let’s draw a picture in the blue sky.Sakushi: Kazumi Kazuki / Sakkyoku: Hajime Kamishiba
When you look at the fluffy clouds floating in the beautiful blue summer sky, don’t they start to look like all kinds of pictures? From those clouds drifting across the sky begins the exciting, heart-pounding adventure of the children’s song “Let’s Draw on the Blue Sky.” The lyrics are packed with the thrill of setting off to travel the world on a ship drawn by the clouds! The lively shouts that pop up in the song are sure to make kids want to imitate them.
Look up at the sky and the clouds, let your dreams grow, and sing out with all your energy!
It’s starting! (Summer ver.)
“Hajimaruyo” is a classic hand-play song at kindergartens and nurseries.
If you try singing it with summer-themed lyrics, you might boost the summer mood and have even more fun.
With one finger held up, the lyrics go from 1 to 5: 1 is a drum, 2 is a water gun, 3 is a shooting star, 4 is a fan, and 5—perfect for the finale—represents fireworks.
From festivals and water play to grand fireworks displays, these lyrics let you fully enjoy summer, and kids are sure to love it.
You can also add your own original verses to make it even more fun.
Oh, oops.Sakushi: Sakata Hiroo / Sakkyoku: Yuyama Akira
The song’s thumping, bouncy rhythm is intriguing, and even from the title you can imagine the sweltering, sweaty heat of midsummer.
There are many children’s songs about summer, but this one stands out for its playful, rhyme-heavy word choices that feel almost like rap, and its rhythmic feel makes it fun to sing.
It’s a track you’ll want to belt out together, with feeling, on an unbearably hot midsummer day.
Watermelon-producing region
Speaking of summer, it’s got to be watermelon! That’s a classic line from way back, right? The repeating, distinctive lyrics are the secret to why kids love it.
When I see the children’s beaming smiles as they do the hand motions to this song, I can’t help but feel that a fun summer has arrived! You can enjoy it not only with hand play, but also by dancing with your whole body—together with lots of friends!
