Recommended children's songs and hand play songs for October! Music time in childcare that feels like autumn.

Village Festival

Village Festival (1930 Chiyogami Eiga-sha; artwork by Noburo Ofuji) Song: Eiko Hirai

In autumn, festivals are often held, and they’re one of the things children look forward to.

This song describes a festival at a shrine in the village.

The lyricist is unknown, but a leading theory attributes it to Shigeru Kuzuhara, who wrote “Yūhi” (Sunset).

larch

Mixed Chorus Piece “Larch” — Hideo Kobayashi

This piece was once selected as the set piece for the high school division of the NHK All-Japan School Music Competition in fiscal year 1985.

It was originally composed in 1972 as a solo vocal work.

Then, between 1976 and 1980, four pieces including this one were composed as a choral collection.

We tend to choose songs that feel accessible to small children, but if we also let them listen to classical, traditional pieces like this as part of appreciation, their wonderful sensitivity may allow them to receive something well-formed and meaningful from it.

Sky of my hometown

Home Sweet Home Sky — Da Capo

The song “Furusato no Sora,” published in 1888, sets a Scottish folk melody to lyrics written by a Japanese lyricist.

It depicts someone living away from home who, while gazing at the autumn scenery, is reminded of their family back in their hometown.

Memorizing or understanding the archaic literary style of the lyrics can be quite difficult for small children; however, briefly conveying the content—such as, “It’s a song about looking at the autumn landscape and feeling nostalgic for your family back home”—and introducing the piece through a simple hand game could be a good way to spark interest in Japanese songs.

butterflied sardine(s)

[Hand Play] Opened Sardine – Recommended for kindergartens, nursery schools, and training/practicum sessions!

Let’s play the fingerplay song “Iwashi no Hiraki,” which features lots of fish! The song starts with sardines (iwashi), using one finger.

Next comes herring (nishin) with two fingers, then Pacific saury (sanma) with three, and salmon (shake) with four.

As the fish get gradually bigger, the number of fingers increases too.

And the final star is a whale! Its spout is extra large—at the end, everyone goes boom! Use your whole body to make a big, dynamic expression.

You can also add a little talk about autumn seasonal fish like sardines and saury.

Autumn Moon (Moon)

Autumn Moon (Soprano: Takako Suzuki)

This piece is the song sung in the autumn section of Rentarō Taki’s suite “The Four Seasons.” The suite consists of four pieces depicting the landscapes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and the spring section is the best-known piece, “Hana” (“Flowers”).

Rentarō Taki is also known for works such as “Kōjō no Tsuki” (“Moon over the Ruined Castle”) and “Hakone Hachiri,” and was an active composer during the Meiji era.

While these beautiful Japanese melodies may be challenging for young children, please do let them listen.

They will surely provide some kind of stimulus to the children’s minds and hearts.

Mr. Raccoon Dog of Genkotsu MountainLyrics by: Yoshiko Kayama / Music by: Akihiro Komori

Mr. Raccoon Dog of Genkotsu Mountain (with gestures)

Well-known as a children’s song, “Genkotsuyama no Tanuki-san” is also a hand-play song where you can enjoy singing while trying your luck at rock-paper-scissors.

With a gentle melody, it uses simple, easy-to-understand words to portray a young raccoon dog’s day.

The hand motions match the lyrics perfectly, making them simple and easy to follow—even for small children.

Finishing with a round of rock-paper-scissors also helps kids learn the rules of the game.

It’s great for indoor activities at nurseries and kindergartens, as well as for parent-child play, so be sure to enjoy it together with everyone.

Rapidly, acorns! (Playful onomatopoeia with “donguri”/acorn)

Japanese Children’s Song – Donguri Korokoro 3D! – Donguri Korokoro

This song is an original piece created by nursery singer-songwriter Shake Aramaki and children’s play-song writer Kazuto Ozawa.

From things like this, a new standard children’s song might be born, right? With its catchy melody, it seems like kids will enjoy singing along.

It also looks like good brain exercise to think about what you can make using acorns.

If you’re a parent or childcare worker with some knowledge of composition, it might be fun to write and sing an original song that children would love, or even create one together with the kids.