Lovely childcare

[Children's Songs] Cute songs recommended for childcare. List of popular nursery rhymes.

20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherDr. Chick
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.
9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherRisa Shibata
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.

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!

Fairy Tale Songs (1–10)

MomotaroTeiichi Okano

♪Momotaro – Peach Boy | ♪Momotaro-san, Momotaro-san [Japanese Song / Shoka]

Teiichi Okano (Momotaro)

This is a song that turns the famous folktale Momotaro into music, and little children love it.

I think most people know the first verse, but there are actually lyrics up to the second verse.

The second verse is quite intense, so it seems that people mostly only sing up to the first verse, but singing just the first verse is enough for everyone to enjoy.

Raise the rankinglower

Issun-bōshi (The One-Inch Boy)TAMURA Torazō

♪ Issun Boushi – One-Inch Boy | ♪ A One-Inch Boy Not Even Enough for a Finger [Japanese Songs / Shoka]

Issun-boshi by Tamura Tokuzo

This is also a song based on a nursery rhyme.

Issun-bōshi, who is only about the size of a finger, sets off on a journey in a little bowl, meets a princess, and encounters an ogre.

Even when he’s swallowed by the ogre, he defeats it using a fighting style only someone small could manage—so cool, right? It’s a nursery rhyme that gives children courage!

Raise the rankinglower

Daikoku-samaTAMURA Torazō

Children’s song / Shoka. Daikoku-sama [Nursery rhyme singer: Yumiko Uchida]

Daikoku-sama Tamura Tokuzo

This is a children’s song about the Japanese myth of the Hare of Inaba.

The song’s title is “Daikoku-sama,” but the figure who appears in the original myth is Ōkuninushi, the enshrined deity of Izumo Taisha.

Daikokuten is a Buddhist guardian deity with roots in Hinduism, and it seems to have syncretized with Ōkuninushi because their names sound the same.

Raise the rankinglower

Hanasaka Jiisan (The Old Man Who Made Flowers Bloom)TAMURA Torazō

Old Man Flower (Hanasaka Jiisan) | Pochi Barks in the Back Field [Japanese Song / Shoka]

Hanasaka Jiisan Tamura Torazō

This song is the one that sings about the famous folktale “Hanasaka Jiisan.” It’s an easy-to-understand story even for children: when it’s the honest old man, gold coins appear, but when it’s the mean old man, no coins come out.

It lets children feel that “good things happen when you’re honest!”

Raise the rankinglower

KintaroTAMURA Torazō

Kintaro – Kintaro | Carrying his hatchet, Kintaro; riding on a bear, practicing like a horse [Japanese song/children’s song]

Kintaro Tamura Torazo

People often say they know the costume but don’t remember the story of Kintaro.

To summarize, it’s a happy tale in which the strong Kintaro helps animals, and a samurai who sees this scouts him.

Kintaro has even been made into a song like this.

I hope children can understand the Kintaro folktale by listening to the song.

Raise the rankinglower

The Rolling Rice BallFuyuki Ishigeta

#54 Yuka Yanari / Omusubi Kororin

Omusubi Kororin Ishigeta Fuyuki

The folktale Omusubi Kororin is quite famous, but did you know there’s a song for it? The song follows the storyline of the tale, so even those who don’t know the story can enjoy it while grasping the flow.

If you sing the song while doing a picture-story show or a puppet show, kids will have even more fun—so moms and teachers, give it a try.

The rhythm is lively and easy to remember, making it great for children to imitate and hum along to right away.

If there are kids who know the story but haven’t heard the song yet, please teach them this song together with the tale.

Raise the rankinglower

The Hare and the TortoiseBenjiro Nadosho

Bunny and Turtle – Usagi To Kame | Hello, hello, Turtle, dear Mr. Turtle [Japanese Song / Shoka]

Usagi to Kame Nosho Benjirō

Do you know the famous fable “The Tortoise and the Hare,” in which a fast hare and a slow tortoise compete? This is a children’s song based on that story.

In the race, the hare, overconfident in its speed, ends up losing to the tortoise.

The tortoise, who doesn’t give up and bravely faces a seemingly unbeatable opponent, is a true hero to children!

Raise the rankinglower