December children's songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes: fun winter hand-play songs
When it comes to December, it’s the season that makes you excited and a little restless, with Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and preparations for the New Year.
Especially as kids, there was so much to look forward to—not just Christmas, but winter break and playing in the snow when it fell.
In this article, we’ll introduce children’s songs perfect for this wonderful month of December, along with playful songs everyone can enjoy and traditional nursery rhymes that have long been popular.
Most of these are for children, but there are also moving masterpieces that resonate deeply with adults.
Try listening while feeling the crisp air outside, or while staying cozy and warm indoors.
- Collection of winter nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs. Includes fun winter hand-play songs too.
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- Songs for January: Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs we want children to grow familiar with
- [Christmas Songs] Christmas songs to sing with children
- Songs we want children to listen to! Recommended Christmas songs and nursery rhymes
- [Children’s Songs of Autumn] Autumn songs, school songs, and traditional children’s rhymes. A collection of classic pieces to sing in autumn.
- Nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs about animals
- Recommended children's songs and hand play songs for October! Music time in childcare that feels like autumn.
- Nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs about food
- [Children’s Song] A Collection of Hand Play Songs Perfect for Christmas
- The World of Kagoshima Folk Songs: Traditional Melodies that Carry On the Spirit of the Hometown
December children’s songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes: Fun winter hand-play songs (1–10)
Abuku-tattachildren’s song
This is a traditional children’s song perfect for the winter season.
Children form a circle to sing and enjoy the accompanying movements, and it is cherished as a playful singing game.
It consists of three parts—cooking, getting ready for bed, and the appearance of a ghost—and features imaginative lyrics and actions.
It also has educational aspects that foster cooperation and creativity, making it beloved across generations.
This piece is ideal for families and friends to enjoy together and is recommended for indoor play on cold winter days.
It is also often incorporated into group activities at preschools and kindergartens, making it a fun song-and-dance that supports children’s development.
little foxLyrics: Katsuo Masaru / Music: German folk song
Little Fox, based on a German folk song, was also selected as a Ministry of Education song and is a nursery rhyme often played on recorder and melodica in Japanese schools.
It depicts a fox living in the winter mountains and includes scenes where it enjoys makeup and hair ornaments like a human.
Because the song repeats the same melody and chorus phrases, it’s well-suited for children to sing during winter activities in early childhood settings.
With its lively rhythm, it’s also fun to perform as a chorus—a song themed around an adorable little fox.
Kantarō the North Wind KidLyrics by Takao Ide / Music by Wakako Fukuda
This winter song vividly conveys a chilly, cold atmosphere, from the whistling flute in the intro to the “whooo” sound that evokes the north wind.
By portraying the north wind not just as wind but as a character named Kantarō, it even makes that unpleasant north wind feel a bit charming.
When the north wind goes whooo, remember this song and Kantarō!
December Children’s Songs, Folk Songs, and Nursery Rhymes: Fun Winter Hand-Play Songs (11–20)
The Song of the Twelve Zodiac AnimalsLyrics/Music: Rie Miyahira
A fun children’s song themed around the Twelve Zodiac Animals has been created.
Crafted by Rie Miyahira, the piece features a rhythmic melody and friendly, easy-to-sing lyrics.
Incorporating hand claps, the verses introduce each of the zodiac animals in order, designed to help children learn them naturally.
In December 2020, it won the Excellence Award at the 9th La Pomme Grand Prize and was recommended for use in early childhood education settings.
Various cover versions and choreography videos are available on YouTube, making it a visually engaging teaching resource as well.
It’s perfect for group activities in nurseries and kindergartens, and also a song that parents and children can enjoy together at home.
The Snow PainterLyrics by Akihiko Noritake / Music by Takashi Ando
Yuki no Penki-ya-san (The Snow Painter) compares the white snow falling from the sky to paint.
The lyrics were written by Akihiko Noritake and the music composed by Takashi Ando.
It’s perfect for winter recreation to pair the lyrics—describing snow falling on rooftops and fences—with finger pointing and clapping hand-play activities.
The song is under a minute long, so learn the repeating melody and enjoy singing and dancing with the children.
It’s a children’s song ideal for December, evoking beautiful natural scenery of snowy landscapes.
grandpa-and-grandma-like (folksy/old-timey vibe)children’s song
This is a traditional Japanese children’s song (warabe-uta) themed around the classic winter pastime of kite flying.
It is enjoyed as a hand-clapping game in which children pair up, face each other, and sing while matching their hands.
The lyrics charmingly depict a kite getting caught on a telegraph pole and the children asking grandpa or grandma for help, offering a playful way to learn about seasonal events and everyday wisdom.
Passed down in communities, families, and early childhood settings, this song continues to be sung today, supporting children’s emotional development and the preservation of traditional culture.
Why not try singing it together with children?
oshikura manju (a children’s pushing game)children’s song
Loved as a traditional Japanese children’s song, this piece is a playful tune children enjoy while warming themselves in the cold season.
The lyrics, which describe the playful pushing of manju buns, are filled with children’s innocent sense of fun.
Despite its simple words, it is a profound song that teaches the importance of huddling together and sharing warmth.
The lyrics and the way it’s played vary slightly by region and era, and it has been cherished throughout Japan.
Even today, it is used in nursery schools and kindergartens to promote communication and physical activity among children.
On a cold winter’s day, singing and playing it with family or friends is sure to warm both heart and body.