[Parenting] Parent-child bonding! Hand-play songs and traditional nursery rhymes collection

Full Moon Night's Mochi Poundingchildren’s song

[Children’s Song] Mochitsuki on the Night of the Harvest Moon ♬ (with Choreography)

This is “Jūgoya-san no Mochitsuki,” a game you’ll want to play on a beautiful moonlit night.

It’s played in pairs.

One person pounds the mochi, and the other kneads it.

The person pounding claps vertically to the rhythm.

The kneader watches for the moment when the pounder’s hands separate, then flips and kneads the mochi between their hands.

It hurts if your hands get caught, so be sure to feel the rhythm as you play.

Once one person succeeds, switch roles and try again.

Piglet-raccoon dog-fox-catLyrics/Music: Naosumi Yamamoto

[Hand play] Kobuta Nuki Tsuneko ♪ (Maatan)

A popular, fun sing-and-dance game based on shiritori.

In the second verse, you play by imitating the sounds of animals that come up in the shiritori chain.

Try expressing the animal sound impressions skillfully with hand motions.

This song game is packed with the fun of linking words in shiritori and communicating through gestures.

Can you move your body smoothly in time with the song? It doesn’t just repeat at the same tempo—both the singing and the dancing speed up.

Now, do your best to keep up with the pace!

Old Man with a BeardLyrics: Unknown / Music: Hidemitsu Tamayama

Tap tap tap tap, Grandpa with a beard

A simple and fun hand-play song, “Ton ton ton ton Hige Jiisan.” Using both hands in a fist shape, you act out grandpas with different features.

This song has several parody versions; the most popular is “Ton ton ton ton Anpanman,” where the grandpa is replaced by Anpanman characters.

The song ends with both hands placed on the knees.

It’s popular in childcare settings because it draws children’s attention while playing, and at the end it helps them prepare their posture and mindset for listening.

My Mixed JuiceLyrics by Taro Gomi / Music by Takeshi Shibuya

♪My Mixed Juice – With a big “Good morning!” shout♪ [Okaasan to Issho]

“Boku no Mix Juice” is a popular song from the NHK program “Okaasan to Issho.” As the title suggests, it’s a song about making a mixed juice.

You throw all sorts of things into a juicer and whirl them around.

Try doing those motions to the rhythm.

By the way, what gets turned into juice isn’t fruit or vegetables—it’s the day’s weather and events.

Whether you had a great day or a bad one, if you turn it into juice like in this song, you might feel refreshed.

Play along with your child, and try making some real juice together, too.

Teacher and friendsLyrics by: Osamu Yoshioka / Music by: Nobuyoshi Koshibe

Sensei and Friends by Himawari 🌻 / With Lyrics | Children's Song for Starting School and Moving Up a Grade | Sensei to Otomodachi | Let’s Make Friends with Your Teacher

For children starting their first days at preschool, teachers might feel like a bit of a mystery—“What kind of person are they?” “Sensei to Otomodachi” is a bright and friendly song that reassures children that teachers are someone they can feel safe with.

The lyrics are simple and easy to understand, and the song is short, making it accessible even for very young kids.

If you add simple choreography or have the teachers sing using animal or character puppets, children who feel nervous or anxious in a new environment will surely become interested.

Let’s sing with smiles and lots of energy!

What shall we make with rock, scissors, paper?Lyrics: Fumiko Saito & Good Choice Production / Music: French folk song

What shall we make with rock, paper, scissors? ♪

It’s an activity where you shape both hands into rock, scissors, or paper and combine them to represent various things.

You can enjoy expressing animals and objects to the rhythm of a song, and by thinking about what kinds of things can be made with different hand shapes, it can also help nurture creativity.

For example, you might sing simple sample verses together—like making a cat with scissors plus scissors, or a bird with paper plus paper—and then include a turn where participants come up with their own ideas.

It’s fun because you may get surprising answers that showcase children’s unique creativity.

Story FingerLyrics: Yoshiko Kayama / Music: Akihiro Komori

Mr. Story Finger | Happy Jam Jam | Sing and dance with Kotamino Channel! | Children’s Songs | Nursery Rhymes [Shimajiro Channel Official]

“Ohanashi Yubisan” is a song often sung in preschools, where the five fingers are played with as members of a family.

The thumb is the father, the index finger is the mother, the middle finger is the older brother, the ring finger is the older sister, and the little finger is the baby.

Through this song, children learn that each finger has its own name.

Instead of saying “thumb” and “index finger,” calling them “father finger” and “mother finger” is easier for kids to understand.

Try playing along, checking your own fingers to the song.