Nursery rhymes you’ll want to sing at karaoke: classic and popular songs everyone can enjoy together.
If you’re wondering what to sing at karaoke with your kids—what songs you can sing together—why not try choosing some children’s songs? Nursery rhymes and kids’ songs are great because everyone from children to adults can have fun together.
We’ve picked not only the songs children learn in kindergarten, daycare, and elementary school, but also popular tunes from TV programs for young kids.
These aren’t just for children—older adults at karaoke can join in and have a great time singing along, too.
Let’s support them so they can sing without feeling shy.
And of course, it’s perfectly fine for adults to enjoy them as well!
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Children’s songs to sing at karaoke: classic and popular tunes everyone can enjoy (21–30)
Playing bus (pretend bus play)Lyrics by: Yoshiko Kayama / Music by: Akira Yuyama
This lively children’s song by Yoshiko Kayama and Akira Yuyama captures the excitement of setting off on a trip in a big bus.
Set to a rhythmic melody, it gently portrays children enjoying pretend play with vehicles.
It’s a song you can sing while moving your hands and body, so it naturally brings smiles to children’s faces.
Long cherished in childcare and educational settings, it’s also used as a play song.
With spring outing season approaching, why not sing it together as a family before a walk or a day out? If everyone enjoys it while keeping the beat, it will surely create wonderful memories in children’s hearts.
Mysterious Pocket
When I listen to this song while I’m hungry… I get even hungrier.
It’s a tune that was also used in a Morinaga Seika biscuit commercial, and it sings about a very mysterious pocket where the biscuits inside increase every time you pat it.
I’m sure many of us wanted that pocket when we were little! These wonderful lyrics were written by Michio Mado, who also penned the well-known children’s song “Zō-san” (Mr.
Elephant).
Nursery rhymes I want to sing at karaoke: classic and popular songs everyone can enjoy (31–40)
Ten thousand feet in the Alps
Isn’t it a song many people first learned as a hand-play tune in childhood? The original is the American folk song titled “Yankee Doodle,” but around the 1960s, lyrics related to mountaineering were added, and it began to be sung in Japan as well.
Some say there are as many as 29 verses, though that’s up for debate.
It’s a great karaoke song—everyone knows it and it gets the whole group in a fun mood.
Grandfather's Clock
Originally a popular song from the United States, this tune—now beloved across Japan—gained sudden popularity after it was broadcast on NHK’s “Okaasan to Issho” in 1962.
In 2002, Ken Hirai covered it, and it has since become a favorite often sung at karaoke.
The wistful lyrics match the rhythm that evokes the ticking of a clock.
It’s a wonderful children’s song that appeals to both adults and kids.
What shall we make with rock, scissors, paper?
Speaking of children’s songs, many of them are fun because you can enjoy them with choreography.
This song, which you can enjoy as a choreography song, also gets everyone excited at karaoke.
Of course, you can try creating your own original version, but performing something in front of the kids that you wouldn’t normally do or make in a kindergarten or nursery school gets a big laugh.
It’s fun when everyone tries it together, and even adults can enjoy it.
Mary's lamb
“Mary Had a Little Lamb” was originally a song born in the United States, but after being brought to Japan and translated into an easy-to-relate Japanese version, it became a staple children’s song.
In fact, it seems that the lyrics are based on a real event.
Trivia about children’s songs can also be a great way to liven up a karaoke session.
Rabbit Dance
A classic song released in 1924.
The lyrics and music are by the duo of Ujo Noguchi and Shinpei Nakayama, also known for “Shabondama.” I’ve heard that dancing to children’s songs was popular at the time.
This song, too, has a fun rhythm—and those katakana lyrics—that makes you want to dance.
If you sing it at karaoke, the kids listening will probably start hopping and dancing on their own.
It’s a children’s song you can enjoy forever.