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

bento box

[Hand Play] The Bento Lunch Box Song♪

This is the song “Obentobako,” where everyone can make a lunchbox together.

When making a big bento, you sing slowly and loudly; when making a small bento, you sing quickly and softly.

You can add all kinds of variations depending on whose bento you’re making.

The bento sounds very tasty, though its contents are a bit old-fashioned for a modern lunchbox.

It seems there are versions like a sandwich version nowadays, so if you’re curious, check those out too!

The Bento Bus

[Song Only Hand Play Song] Obento Bus with Lyrics - Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs (Children’s Songs and Hand Play)

This song, “Obento Bus,” imagines a bus as a lunch box, with vegetables and fruits—the side dishes—boarding one after another.

It’s an adorable song that kids are sure to enjoy! It’s perfect before a field trip or sports day when you need a packed lunch.

You can also change the vegetables and fruits in the lyrics to the side dishes you want to eat.

If each child sings their own version freely, it’ll become a song that showcases their individuality.

wild chrysanthemum

Ministry of Education Song: Field Chrysanthemum

The children’s song “Nogiku” lets you feel the comforts of autumn.

Released in 1942 as a Ministry of Education song, it depicts wild chrysanthemums blooming proudly in autumn fields and hills, with a gentle and beautiful melody.

It’s a piece that invites you to picture wild chrysanthemums basking in autumn sunlight and scenic autumn landscapes as you listen.

It could be nice to talk about the features of wild chrysanthemums and the autumn scenery bathed in soft sunlight, incorporating simple hand motions as a play song.

The lyrics describe pale purple wild chrysanthemums—try looking up images and enjoying the hand-play song while viewing the flowers, whether at preschool or at home.

Village Autumn

Sato no Aki (Autumn in the Village) by Chieko Baisho

Selected for the “100 Best Japanese Songs” and included in elementary school music textbooks for many years, the children’s song Sato no Aki is a piece that symbolizes autumn.

It was originally composed to encourage soldiers returning from the front and demobilized troops, but after changes to the lyrics, it has come to be loved as a song depicting the gentle scenery of autumn in Japan.

In nursery schools and kindergartens, more upbeat songs are usually chosen.

Once in a while, though, it might be nice to take the opportunity to sing a calm, long-cherished Japanese song like Sato no Aki with simple hand motions.