[Childcare] Summer songs: Full of fun! Summer nursery rhymes & finger-play songs

One, two, three

One, Two, Three! / Together with Mother (Covered by UtaSuta) [The big sister dances!]

Let me introduce the upbeat song “One, Two, Three.” The lyrics feature animals like frogs and penguins.

It might be fun to change the way you jump for each animal, adding variety to your movements as you dance.

As you sing, it turns into an energizing song that fills you with hope and courage for the future.

Try dancing and enjoying it while imagining a bright future! Adding some hand claps might make it even more fun.

Tsupin Flying FishLyrics by Chieko Nakamura / Music by Jun Sakurai

[Children's Song] Tsu-pin Flying Fish [Kids' Song]

This is a song from “Okaasan to Issho,” with lyrics by Chieko Nakamura and music by Jun Sakurai.

While listening to this fun tune, try to let your imagination run wild about what it’s like when flying fish do their “tsuppin”—something children might not be very familiar with.

If you ever see real flying fish doing tsuppin on a summer beach one day, you’ll surely be amazed!

tomatoLyrics: Takeshi Shoji / Music: Megumi Ohnaka

Tomato 🍅 (♪ “Tomato” is such a cute name~) by Sunflower 🌻 With Lyrics | Children’s Song | TOMATO

Its title says it all: “Tomato,” themed around the summer vegetable.

The lyrics are striking in how they simply adore the tomato’s name and appearance.

In the first verse, the tomato’s name is treated almost like wordplay, and that cuteness is praised.

In the second verse, the song admires how a tomato starts out green and then turns red as it grows.

Those second-verse lyrics even let you learn about the stages that make a tomato turn into its cute red form! With such an adorable portrayal, kids who already love tomatoes may love them even more, and those who don’t might start to like tomatoes thanks to this song.

King Kamehameha of the Southern IslandsLyrics by Akira Ito / Music by Koichi Morita

King Kamehameha of the Southern Islands

The children’s song “Hamehameha the Great King of the Southern Island” is about King Hamehameha, who lives on a southern island that’s warm like summer all year round.

On this island, not only the king and his wife, the queen, and their children, but in fact every single islander is named “Hamehameha”! The song is about the king, queen, children, and islanders who all share the same name.

Its unique and friendly lyrics make you feel happy just by singing along.

There are hand motions to go with the lyrics, so be sure to enjoy them together with the song!

seaTakeshi Inoue

[Children's Song] The Sea

The children’s song “Umi” conjures up images of a gentle, beautifully blue sea.

Sung in English as “THE SEA” by American singer-songwriter Greg Irwin, the song celebrates the boundless expanse of the ocean.

The sun and moon rise and set along the horizon, the waves are calm yet at times turn fierce, and beyond the sea lies a world still unseen.

Along with the many scenes of the vast ocean, this song inspires dreams and hope for the world that stretches beyond the sea.

The Banana That Flew AwayLyrics by Akira Kataoka / Music by Jun Sakurai

Japanese Children’s Song – Nursery Rhyme – The Banana That Flew Away – Tondetta Banana

Bananas are mainly grown on southern islands that evoke the hot summer season.

The playful children’s song “Tondetta Banana” (“The Banana That Flew Away”) tells a funny story of a banana flying off here and there.

It starts with two children fighting over a single banana, which suddenly flies away, then makes its way to a little bird and a crocodile.

In the end, it goes to a ship’s captain.

.

.

What happens after it reaches the captain? Be sure to sing the song and find out! The catchy phrase that plays whenever the scene changes is so memorable that many children can’t help but imitate it.

Song of Suihei-sanSuper Simple Songs

Suihei-san no Uta “A Sailor Went To Sea” | Children’s Song | Super Simple Japanese

Let’s sing an ocean song called “Suihei-san no Uta,” with its relaxed, heartwarming melody and fun lyrics.

The playful words are packed with lots of sea creatures, making them tricky to memorize.

It’s a fun song featuring octopuses, jellyfish, seahorses, and more, and it’s a singing game where you see how many animal names you can remember as you sing.

Since it originally comes from an English song, it’s also helpful for children learning English.

Because so many different sea creatures appear, you might recognize some you already know.

You can learn, “Oh, so these kinds of creatures live in the sea,” test your memory, and enjoy singing it in lots of different ways.