[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!
- Nursery rhymes I want to sing in July: fun summer songs
- Children’s Songs You Can Sing in August: Summer-Friendly Kids’ Songs and Fingerplay Rhymes
- [Sea Nursery Rhymes] Fun children's songs themed around the sea
- A collection of summer-like songs: tracks that go perfectly with summer, like the sea and the sky.
- [Tanabata Children's Songs] Fun hand-play songs and a nostalgic collection of traditional nursery rhymes and folk songs
- [Children’s Songs for June] Fun finger-play songs and traditional nursery rhymes perfect for the rainy season
- Summer song medley. Timeless and popular tracks that color the summer.
- Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs to enjoy in May! Songs perfect for the fresh green season
- Children’s songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes about insects
- Recommended summer songs for kids: Popular J-POP/Japanese hits [2026]
- Get pumped with kids’ favorite songs! A memorable collection of classics that will make you want to sing along
- [Sunflower Songs] A selection of classic and popular tracks that give you energy in the hot summer
- Nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs about food
[Childcare] Summer Songs: Full of Fun! Summer Nursery Rhymes & Hand-Play Songs (41–50)
aye-ayeSakushi: Aida Hiromi / Sakkyoku: Uno Seiichirou
A children’s song called “Ai Ai” features an animal named the aye-aye, a cousin of monkeys.
Since aye-ayes live on the hot southern island of Madagascar, it’s the perfect song for the hot summer season! The lyrics introduce the aye-aye’s characteristics, so it might be fun to look it up in a picture book or encyclopedia while singing.
Even very young children who aren’t used to talking much yet can sing it easily, so try singing it while imitating monkey movements!
Summer MemoriesSakushi: Ema Akiko / Sakkyoku: Nakata Yoshinao
As the lyrics say, when summer comes, the Japanese summer song that springs to mind is surely “Natsu no Omoide” (Summer Memories).
Many people probably sang it in chorus back in junior high school.
It appears in music textbooks, too, and it’s no exaggeration to call it a summer song deeply etched in the hearts of the Japanese.
“Natsu no Omoide” was released in 1949, with lyrics by Akiko Ema, famed for works like “Hana no Machi,” and music by Yoshinao Nakata, known for “Chiisai Aki Mitsuketa” and “Medaka no Gakkō.” It’s truly a piece born from the exceptional talents of these two creators.
water playSakushi: Azuma Kume / Sakkyoku: Taki Rentaro
It was included in the Kindergarten Song Collection published in 1901.
Using colloquial lyrics to create nursery songs for young children was considered groundbreaking at the time.
With its simple and short lyrics, it’s a song that even little children can enjoy clapping and playing along to.
Glide, glide, glide through the sea.
This song is packed with the excitement of exploring the sea.
Swimming alongside sailors and meeting creatures like seahorses and turtles will spark children’s curiosity.
The song has been featured on Pokémon Kids TV and is popular with kids.
It’s perfect for parents and children to enjoy together with hand motions! If you show pictures of sea creatures while singing, it might help nurture language and knowledge through play.
swim goggles
This is a very charming fingerplay song where children peer through “glasses” made with both hands to look for sea creatures.
Asking “What’s there next?” sparks their imagination.
The song has been performed by various creators, with some videos on YouTube surpassing one million views—proof of its popularity.
Its widespread use as early childhood material also attests to how enjoyable it is.
If you freely change the creatures in the lyrics and tell them, “The ocean is full of mysteries!”, you may further draw out children’s curiosity and spirit of inquiry.
Fruit punch!gaagaaS
It’s a super lively dance song with the theme of desserts you crave in summer.
Like a fruit punch that becomes even tastier when colorful fruits come together, it conveys the joy of everyone dancing as one.
The dance video released in 2020 has been viewed over 2 million times, and the song is even used at AEON Group facilities.
On hot summer days when you’re craving cold, delicious fruit, pick your favorite fruit with your child, get into character, and dance your heart out!
La-la-la! Tropicarnival!gaagaaS
This is a kids’ exercise song with a cheerful rhythm that evokes a tropical carnival.
By shouting together and copying the adorable moves—like sticking your bottom out with a playful pop—it’s sure to spread smiles all around.
Created by the children’s music duo gaagaaS, the song has been adopted by over 1,100 childcare facilities since August 2024 as part of measures to cope with extreme heat.
It’s perfect for indoor play on hot summer days or for parents and children to move together.
Through the dance, you might just add another happy summer memory.