[Childcare] Recommended songs and nursery rhymes for November: Fun autumn fingerplay songs
November is late autumn—the season of falling leaves—and a time when we start to feel winter approaching.
This time, we’ve gathered children’s songs and fingerplay songs with a November theme.
From pieces that evoke autumn scenery to songs that hint at the coming of winter, we’ll introduce plenty of sing-and-play fingerplay tunes!
They’re perfect for play at home, daycare, or kindergarten, so be sure to give them a try.
We’ve provided movement examples, but it’s also fun to arrange them in your own style!
Before the real cold sets in, let’s all sing and play together on these autumn days!
- [Children’s Songs of Autumn] Autumn songs, school songs, and traditional children’s rhymes. A collection of classic pieces to sing in autumn.
- Recommended children's songs and hand play songs for October! Music time in childcare that feels like autumn.
- Song of the Maple Leaves. An autumn children’s song/nursery rhyme/folk song
- December children's songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes: fun winter hand-play songs
- Songs for January: Nursery rhymes and fingerplay songs we want children to grow familiar with
- A collection of classic nursery rhymes and hand-play songs for September! Enjoy autumn with your child through songs.
- Collection of winter nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs. Includes fun winter hand-play songs too.
- [Snow Songs for Winter] Children's Snow Nursery Rhymes and Hand-Play Songs
- Autumn anime songs: iconic tracks for the deepening fall
- [For 0-year-olds] Recommended songs for babies: A special feature on bonding play and traditional nursery rhymes
- Children’s songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes about insects
- Children’s songs and nursery rhymes about the moon
- Nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs about food
[Childcare] Recommended songs and nursery rhymes for November: Fun autumn finger-play songs (11–20)
Under the big chestnut tree
The children’s song “Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree,” based on an English folk tune.
The lyricist and composer are both unknown, but it’s a classic selected as one of Japan’s 100 Best Songs.
It depicts a very cheerful scene of playing and chatting under the chestnut tree.
This song is also famous as a hand-play song, so if you have children at home, you’ve probably played it at least once.
It’s perfect for November—be sure to use it for indoor play on chilly days.
a maple leafLyrics and Music by Sasaki Nobutsuna
This is a charming children’s song written and composed by Nobutsuna Sasaki.
It depicts a heartwarming scene that brings to mind a child delighting in comparing fluttering, falling leaves with their own hands.
Its gentle melody makes it easy for children to sing, and the lyrics are filled with words that warm the heart.
It’s perfect not only for singing in preschools and kindergartens, but also for humming along with your child on an autumn stroll.
Be sure to sing together and enjoy the colors of the season.
Rolling sweet potatoes
Many children love sweet potatoes, don’t they? So how about enjoying “Oimo Korokoro,” a piece themed around the sweet potato harvest? It’s crafted to depict potatoes emerging from the soil while repeating the title phrase.
With lots of sound effects, it has a lively feel and is perfect for times when everyone wants to sing together in unison.
Another nice touch is the call-and-response section prepared for a big finale.
Delicious Aki
As the saying ‘autumn is the season of appetite’ suggests, fall is also a time when many delicious foods are in season.
That’s why I’d like to introduce Oishii Aki (Delicious Autumn).
This book features foods that reach their peak in autumn, such as chestnuts, sweet potatoes, and Pacific saury.
It’s exciting to wonder, ‘What will appear next?’ and a fun point is that each item comes with its own unique choreography.
It also seems like a great way to spark interest in food.
Piglet-raccoon dog-fox-cat
This is the popular autumn hand-play song for children, “Kobuta Tanuki Kitsune Neko”! Kids imitate the animals that appear in the lyrics and copy their sounds as they play.
It’s very simple and fun to watch, so even infants can enjoy it.
When playing this song with preschoolers, try speeding it up as they get used to it.
It’s also fun to see who can keep up!
Shopping at the bakery
Introducing “Shopping at the Bakery,” a partner activity you can enjoy in pairs.
It’s a fingerplay song themed around shopping at a bakery.
Two people face each other, and one person touches parts of the partner’s face in time with the lyrics.
For example, when the song mentions the crust of bread, you touch the ear; for melon bread, you touch the cheek.
You can enjoy it like a pretend errand game, and it can also spark interest in food and jobs.
It seems perfect for Labor Thanksgiving Day.
[Childcare] Recommended songs and nursery rhymes for November: Fun autumn finger-play songs (21–30)
bright red maple leaves
When it comes to symbols of autumn plants, maple leaves (momiji) are the stars! Let’s play along to the song “Makkana Momiji” and try different activities.
A classic game is catching falling leaves with your hands.
Real maple leaves that are too dry fall apart quickly, so for play, we make the leaves out of paper.
You can use maple-colored paper or any color you like.
Fold the paper a few times so it flutters as it falls.
Then just drop it and catch it… that’s the whole game—simple, but it gets everyone excited.
You can also split roles between the person who drops the leaves and the person who catches them.