[Children's Songs] Cute songs recommended for childcare. List of popular nursery rhymes.
Kids love to sing!
Singing is a form of exercise, nurtures interest in language, and helps develop expressiveness and a sense of rhythm.
It’s also said that singing releases “happy hormones,” making it effective for relieving stress.
Bring plenty of music into daily life and sing freely together with your children.
This time, we’re introducing popular children’s songs we’d love you to sing and play with your kids!
We’ve collected everything from classic nursery rhymes passed down through the years to the latest hit songs.
You can search songs by category—animals, vehicles, food, and more—so you’re sure to find the perfect tune for your children.
If you add simple choreography or hand-play motions as well as singing, the kids will be thrilled!
Be sure to explore a variety of nursery rhymes and enjoy happy times with your children!
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Vehicle Song (1–10)
Janken TrainTakeshi Tsuruno
When it comes to songs that little children can enjoy listening to, “Janken Train” is a great choice.
It’s a song we definitely recommend dancing to together while moving your bodies.
Ask a parent or teacher to teach you the choreography.
Since the choreography includes rock-paper-scissors, which kids love, it’s sure to be a hit.
It’s also fun for children to use their whole bodies to imitate a train.
This song is recommended even for kids who aren’t confident with physical activity.
It’s good exercise too, so be sure to sing and dance along.
I like the E7 series.Yume, Taisei, Shusshu, Poppo, Stationmaster Pantan
The song that mentions many names of the E7 series trains is “E7 Series Is Great.” It’s recommended for kids who want to memorize the names or love humming them.
Since it focuses specifically on the E7 series, it’s also a great pick for kids with more specialized interests.
Your child will have fun learning all about the E7 series by listening to this song.
When they actually ride or see a Shinkansen, they’ll be excited to recognize, “That’s the train from the lyrics!” Be sure to learn it together as a parent and child and try humming along.
Go by Shinkansen! Go, go!Daisuke Yokoyama / Takumi Mitani
“Shinkansen Go! Go-Go!” is a song where kids can sing while pretending to be their admired Shinkansen driver or the cart-service attendant.
Many children look up to jobs related to the Shinkansen, especially the drivers.
This song lets those kids enjoy a mini work-experience.
Rather than just singing, we recommend fully getting into character—move like them, imitate the spoken lines, and play freely! This song might even inspire some children to turn it into their real dream for the future.
Songs of Vehicles (11–20)
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.
Spring Song (11–20)
Japanese songs that make you feel spring!
Warm and pleasantly comfortable spring weather. It’s the perfect season for children to play outside, isn’t it? Here, we introduce recommended nursery rhymes that perfectly match spring scenery. How about taking a walk while humming traditional Japanese songs that have been passed down through the generations? Reference article:[Children’s Songs] Let’s Sing of Spring! A Fun Collection of Nursery Rhymes, Folk Songs, and Children’s Songs
Spring Songs (1–10)
butterflyLyrics by Akiashi Nomura / Music by Spanish folk song
As a spring children’s song, “Butterfly” is practically indispensable—almost everyone knows it.
Like many nursery rhymes, it’s actually an overseas tune that later received Japanese lyrics.
The original is a German children’s song themed around a little boy named “Little Hans” who sets off on a journey.
While the first verse is by far the most famous, there are actually four verses: sparrows appear in the second, dragonflies in the third, and swallows in the fourth.
It’s one of those songs that instantly puts you in a spring mood the moment you hum it.
Teacher and friendsLyrics by: Osamu Yoshioka / Music by: Nobuyoshi Koshibe
Written by lyricist Osamu Yoshioka and composed by Nobuyoshi Koshibe, “Sensei to Otomodachi” (Teacher and Friends) helps ease children’s anxieties through cheerful interactions and gives them a positive start to their new lives.
The lyrics depict moments of bonding with teachers and friends—holding hands, exchanging greetings, and more.
Carrying a message that encourages kids to feel safe and adjust to a new environment, the song is also marked by a bright, easy-to-remember melody.
It’s a perfect springtime song to sing with children at the start of a new school term or when entering kindergarten.
lazybonesnursery rhyme
The children’s song handed down in Saga Prefecture has horsetail shoots as its theme, heralding the arrival of spring.
The lyrics call out to the sprouts as they peek up from the soil.
There are many ways to enjoy it—swaying together as parent and child or playing with a cloth, for example.
Reflecting the local culture, it is a cherished tradition passed down across generations.
It also seems to encourage interaction with springtime nature and promote rhythm and language development.
Widely enjoyed by various ages in nursery schools and kindergartens, it is a lovely song that expresses hopes for children’s healthy growth.