Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs to enjoy in May! Songs perfect for the fresh green season
May is the season when fresh green leaves shine brightly and playing outside becomes so much fun.
On walks, you can hear many little birds and feel the pleasant breeze, which lifts your spirits.
At times like that, why not spend the moment singing children’s songs that let you feel the joys of spring?
We’re introducing many songs—from ones that capture the comfortable feeling of May to tunes perfect for spring field trips and fun outings.
Let’s sing children’s songs that you can enjoy together with May’s nature—everyone with friends and family!
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- [Children’s Songs for June] Fun finger-play songs and traditional nursery rhymes perfect for the rainy season
- Children’s songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes for March: fun spring hand-play songs.
- [For Children] Recommended Nursery Rhymes and Traditional Children’s Songs to Sing in April
- Nursery rhymes I want to sing in July: fun summer songs
- Children’s songs to sing on a rainy day / children’s songs with a rain theme
- I want to sing it at the senior class recital! A choral piece that 5-year-olds can sing with all their heart
- A collection of cheerful nursery rhymes—songs that make you feel happy when you sing them.
- Children’s Songs You Can Sing in August: Summer-Friendly Kids’ Songs and Fingerplay Rhymes
- A collection of classic nursery rhymes and hand-play songs for September! Enjoy autumn with your child through songs.
- [Childcare] Summer songs: Full of fun! Summer nursery rhymes & finger-play songs
- Recommended children's songs and hand play songs for October! Music time in childcare that feels like autumn.
- [Childcare] Recommended songs and nursery rhymes for November: Fun autumn fingerplay songs
Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs to enjoy in May! Perfect songs for the fresh green season (41–50)
Picnic MarchLyrics: Takao Ide / Music: Nobuyoshi Koshibe
A bright and cheerful march-style song born from the familiar NHK program “Okaasan to Issho.” It expresses the act of stepping forward while cheerfully addressing your right and left feet, through adorable lyrics and a rhythmic melody.
Created as an insert song for the puppet show “Niko Niko Pun,” which aired from 1982 to 1992, it featured the trio of Jajamaru, Pikkoro, and Porori singing and dancing—an image that left a deep impression on many children.
Thanks to its easy, movement-friendly appeal, it’s often sung at events like field trips and sports days and is widely used in early childhood education.
It’s a perfect song for a picnic in open fields that stirs the urge to run around, or for the season of meeting new friends.
The Hill Where Mandarin Orange Blossoms BloomLyrics by Shogo Kato / Music by Minoru Kainuma
This beautiful children’s song, born in August 1946 shortly after the war, vividly depicts fresh scenes of nature and a poignant longing for a mother.
Hastily created the day before its NHK radio broadcast, the piece gently sings of a child’s pure feelings and warm love for their mother through the view from a seaside hill.
The depiction of a ship fading in the distance conveys a sense of unreachable loneliness, stirring a deeply moving emotion.
In 2003 it was used as the theme song for the TBS drama “Shin: Ten Made Todoke,” and in 1991 it was also featured in a Recruit commercial.
Embraced by warm light, this soothing song will continue to comfort and stay close to many hearts.
rainbowLyrics by Toshihiko Shinzawa / Music by Hirotaka Nakagawa
A gem of a song by Toshihiko Shinzawa and Hirotaka Nakagawa, it gently sings of hopeful expectations for tomorrow, themed around meeting a seven-colored rainbow in the garden after the rain.
Since its release in 1990, it has been loved by many for its lyrics that depict small everyday joys and its warm melody.
In 2020, it was featured as the commercial song for Kao’s “Attack ZERO,” revealing new charm alongside striking visuals starring Tori Matsuzaka and others.
It’s a tune you’ll want the whole family to hum together, especially when you’re feeling down.
soap bubbleLyrics by Ujō Noguchi / Music by Shinpei Nakayama
A classic adorned with a gentle melody that resonates in children’s hearts and lyrics that are fragile yet beautiful.
Created hand in hand by Ujo Noguchi and Shinpei Nakayama, this work left a profound mark on the history of Japanese children’s songs and continues to be loved by many today.
In a 2003 survey conducted by the NPO “Japan Doyo Association,” it was ranked ninth among favorite children’s songs and was also selected for the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “100 Best Songs of Japan.” At Yumoto Station in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, it is even used as the departure melody.
Why not enjoy a hand-play game while singing it with your child on Children’s Day? You’re sure to have a heartwarming time.
soap bubbleLyrics by Ujō Noguchi / Music by Shinpei Nakayama
It’s a classic children’s song that straightforwardly portrays the scene of playing with soap bubbles.
The bubbles, reflecting light and soaring beautifully, can also prompt us to notice the surrounding scenery.
In early summer, when the plants are a vivid green and the sky a deep blue—especially in May—soap bubbles look particularly beautiful.
The song expresses a pure wish for the bubbles to keep flying without ever popping, conveying the joy and excitement of engaging with them.
Because it evokes the image of children playing with soap bubbles, it seems perfectly suited as a song to represent Children’s Day as well.
On the busLyrics and Music: Kunihiro Taniguchi
May is a month with more chances to go on field trips a little farther by bus.
This song, “On the Bus,” makes those boring bus rides fun.
It sings about all the different movements you experience on a bus—turning right and left on curves, going up and down hills, and more.
You can move your body up, down, left, and right to match the lyrics’ motions, raise your hands to show the bus going farther and farther, or act out a countdown—so instead of just singing, you can enjoy the time by moving your whole body.
The song even describes arriving at the destination at the end, so after repeating the song several times, try to have the song “arrive” right when you actually reach your destination!
Oh, the pastures are greenLyrics: Czechoslovak folk song / Ugo Nakata; Composition: Czechoslovak folk song
In the fresh, shimmering greens of May, a song that’s perfect for singing while feeling nature’s warmth is the Czechoslovak folk song “Oh, the Meadows Are Green.” In Japan, the lyrics written by pastor Ugo Nakata are widely known, and the song gained popularity after being featured on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” in 1961.
The lyrics, which describe how the snow melts as winter turns to spring and nourishes the growing greenery, let you feel the changing of the seasons.
Enjoy the spirit of May and sing it out with lots of energy!