Nursery rhymes to sing to your baby! Recommended songs enjoyable from 0 months

a big drum

[Children's Song] Big Drum ♪ With Mother (Okaasan to Issho) Covered by UtaSuta

“Ooki na Taiko” (The Big Drum) is a children’s song you can enjoy while feeling the contrast between loud and soft sounds.

The lyrics were written by Jun’ichi Kobayashi, one of the translators of “Jingle Bells,” and the music was composed by Yoshinao Nakada, known for children’s songs such as “Medaka no Gakko” (The School of Minnows).

The lyrics describe how beating a big drum makes a loud sound, while beating a small drum makes a soft sound.

When you sing it, try matching your voice to the words—use a loud voice for the big drum parts and a soft voice for the small drum parts.

It’s especially fun to sing while pretending to beat a drum together with your child!

swirl washing machine

Swirly Washing Machine (Baby Touch-and-Play Song ver.)

A massage where you move different parts of your baby’s body in circular motions to match the movement of a washing machine.

This “Round-and-Round Washing Machine” song imagines the baby as if they were clothes being cleaned inside a washer.

You gently stroke the tummy clockwise, rotate the legs, and at the end, the parent who has been moving the baby spins together while holding them.

It’s perfect not only as a massage, but also as a song for bonding with your baby!

TulipLyrics by Michio Mado / Music by Shinpei Kusano

♪ Tulip – Tulip | ♪ Bloomed, bloomed, the tulip flowers [Japanese song / shoka]

Another song that reminds us of spring and a quintessential Japanese children’s song: “Tulips.” Its gentle melody, celebrating the spring flower tulips, makes you want to sing it every time you see them.

The way tulips grow straight and sturdy from their bulbs may even remind us of babies as they thrive.

We hope they grow up healthy and adorable, like tulips in all their vibrant colors.

Gonbe-san’s Baby

[Hand Play] Gonbe-san’s Baby ♬ (with gestures)

“Gonbe-san no Akachan,” created based on an American folk song.

It’s a song featuring a character named Gonbe-san—who covers his head with a tenugui cloth and ties it under his chin—and a baby.

It depicts a scene where the baby catches a cold, and you use your hands to act out holding the baby and having a sudden idea.

The unique movement where, in a fluster, Gonbe-san accidentally puts a poultice on himself is especially amusing! Once you get used to it, it’s also fun to change the tempo—singing faster or slower.

Let’s enjoy this nostalgic hand-play song that everyone has heard at least once!

The Puppy Police Officer

Dog Policeman – The Little Lost Kitten [Japanese Children's Song]

Famous as a children’s song that everyone has heard at least once, “The Policeman Dog” tells a humorous and adorable story: a police-dog asks a lost kitten for its address and name, but the kitten doesn’t know, leaving the dog at a loss—until he ends up crying himself.

When singing it to a small baby, changing your voice for the kitten’s meow and the dog’s bark will likely delight them.

It would be great if parents could enjoy it together with their child, adding facial expressions—like crying or worried faces—for extra fun!

spool (of thread); winding thread; Itomaki (traditional toy spinning top), depending on context

The Itomaki Song | Age 1 Issue <Kodomo Challenge Baby> [Shimajiro Channel Official]

The hand play song “Ito Maki no Uta” is well known.

It’s also recommended as a singing interaction game for very young babies, from newborns up to about one year old.

You might enjoy singing it while making sounds with baby maracas or small building blocks.

As you “wind the thread,” try changing the lyrics to items you can “put on” parts of the body, like shoes or a hat, and then gently touch that body part—this becomes a nice moment of bonding with your baby.

It’s a fun activity for both parents and babies, so please give it a try.

Pop! Popcorn

Popping! Popcorn (Baby Touch-and-Play Song Ver.)

The song you can enjoy hopping, stepping, and jumping to is “Popping! Popcorn.” Have your child sit on top of your feet, and gently bounce them by alternately lifting and lowering your knees.

The key is to adjust it to your child’s stage of development—be careful not to shake a very small baby too much! With a light, bouncy rhythm like popcorn popping, your little one is sure to be delighted.

It’s a song that lets you enjoy parent–child bonding, whether facing your baby or lifting them up high.