Be careful not to get led astray! A roundup of challenging yet fun rounds (canon songs)

Three caterpillarsLyrics by Michio Kurihara / Music by Satoshi Komiyaji

Round song “Three Caterpillars” (Lyrics by Michio Kurihara, Music by Satoshi Komiyaji)

‘Three Little Caterpillars’ has adorable lyrics where someone squeals “Eek!” at a caterpillar.

When a large group sings it as a round, the final sound effects line up in succession, so everyone might end up giggling and squealing together.

You typically enter two measures later, but I also recommend the one-measure-late version—it’s more challenging and adds extra punch! It could be fun to perform this round within a play that features insects.

When you get to the surprised part, add a pose with both hands thrust forward, and enjoy singing it!

Big Song

Large song, round, with vocals: verse 1, verse 2, verse 3, coda

The children’s song “Big Song,” also known as a recreational song often sung at camps, is an easy piece for rounds: without overlapping lyrics, you can sing by echoing and imitating what your friends sing.

The song is notable for words that evoke the grandeur of nature—like “mountain,” “sun,” and “sky”—and lyrics that suggest hope, such as “heart” and “dream.” Along with enjoying it as a round, it might be nice to draw pictures inspired by the natural scenes and future dreams the song brings to mind, helping to spark children’s imaginations.

The Mouse and the Kitten

♪ Mouse and Kitten (Round Song)

The song “The Mouse and the Kitten” is charming for its very cute lyrics depicting a mouse desperately running away from a kitten.

With simple, easy-to-understand lines like “The mouse goes ‘chu-chu-chu’ as it runs, and the kitten goes ‘meow-meow’ as it chases,” it seems perfect for a round, doesn’t it? Whether you start 4 measures later or 2 measures later, the melodies overlap beautifully, so watch the children and let them try different patterns!

The sound of insects

We sang “Mushi no Koe” as a round. October 6, Day Service.

Mushi no Koe (The Voices of Insects) features a variety of bugs.

Since it was included in the 1910 Elementary School Reader Songs, this children’s song has been beloved across generations.

If there’s a child who knows all five insects that appear—pine cricket, bell cricket, katydid, eastern bush-cricket, and long-headed grasshopper—they’re surely quite the insect enthusiast! It might be a chance to glimpse a hidden side of children.

When sung as a round, the insects’ calls overlap beautifully.

Try splitting into two groups at first, then gradually increase the number of groups and stagger the timing to experiment with different effects.

What shall we make with rock, paper, scissors?

What shall we make with rock, paper, scissors? — Round/Chase song in English

The hand game song “Gu-Choki-Pa de Nani Tsukurou,” where you make various shapes with rock, scissors, and paper while singing, can actually be enjoyed as a round, too.

Once everyone remembers the hand shapes for rock, scissors, and paper, try singing it as a round with a one-measure delay! No matter where you come in each measure, it creates a pleasant harmony, so many friends can join in by staggering their entries in order.

The more people who join at different timings, the higher the difficulty! Once you get used to it, increase the number of participants or combine it with the hand motions to enjoy different patterns.