Collection of winter nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs. Includes fun winter hand-play songs too.
Do you like winter?
Winter is very cold, but you can enjoy the beautiful silvery world created by pure white snow and feel the special warmth unique to winter—like hot pot dishes and igloos.
There are so many ways to have fun that you can only experience in winter.
Winter also brings lots of fun events, such as Christmas and New Year’s!
Children are probably looking forward to making snowmen, having snowball fights, and enjoying Christmas presents and cake.
In this article, we’ll introduce nursery rhymes, folk songs, traditional children’s songs, and hand-play songs with various winter themes.
There are many songs that can turn a winter that’s just cold into wonderful memories, so be sure to give them a listen!
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Collection of winter children's songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes. Fun winter finger-play songs too (41–50)
Ogre’s Underpants (Original Song: Funiculì, Funiculà)
The song “Oni no Pantsu” is based on the Italian popular song “Funiculì, Funiculà.” The name “Funiculì, Funiculà” is said to come from the nickname of the funicolare (a cable car) in Naples.
Because this song can be accompanied by hand motions, it is popular among children.
It playfully represents the imaginary “oni’s pants” through hand games, making it a fun song to sing.
Collection of Winter Nursery Rhymes, Folk Songs, and Children's Songs: Fun Winter Hand-Play Songs Too (51–60)
I can hear the Christmas songToshihiko Niizawa
It’s a charming song filled with the fun of winter.
Released by Toshihiko Shinzawa in July 1996, this piece gently conveys the joy and anticipation of Christmas.
With lyrics that resonate with children and a friendly, easy-to-sing melody, it has become a popular song widely sung in kindergartens and nursery schools.
Included on the album “SEASON,” it runs about 3 minutes and 45 seconds, and the single was priced at 262 yen (tax included).
You can feel the excitement of decorating the Christmas tree and waiting for presents.
It’s also perfect as background music for enjoying the cold season.
Why not sing it together as a family and create some wonderful memories?
Hitotsu to ya
This song, loved for many years as a traditional Japanese children’s song, uses the numbers from one to twelve to depict New Year scenes and children at play.
It features a simple melody and rhythmical, alliterative lyrics, and is also known as a handball (temari) song that children can sing while playing.
It’s interesting that the lyrics and melody vary by region and era.
It was reportedly recorded on SP records in the early Showa period.
More recently, it was even referenced in the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
It’s especially nice to sing together as a family in winter, particularly around the New Year.
It’s also a great opportunity to experience traditional Japanese culture.
Yakiimo goo-choki-pa
Beloved as a heartwarming winter hand-play song, this piece revolves around roasted sweet potatoes while incorporating the rock-paper-scissors moves of “Guu” (rock), “Choki” (scissors), and “Paa” (paper).
It has been broadcast on NHK’s children’s program “Okaasan to Issho” and has long been cherished as a hand-play song for young children.
Embraced by many as a song that evokes the seasonal feeling from autumn to winter, it is enjoyed not only in kindergartens and nursery schools but also at home.
While expressing the fun and warmth of eating roasted sweet potatoes in the cold season, moving the hands and fingers to the rhythm can also help nurture children’s sense of rhythm and fine motor skills.
Be sure to enjoy it together with the whole family!
Cream Stew Fingerplay Song
There is a hand-play song that’s perfect for the cold winter and is popular in nurseries and kindergartens.
With lyrics and hand movements that funnily express the process of making cream stew, children naturally learn the steps of cooking and the names of ingredients.
On YouTube, several childcare-related channels feature this song, and a video posted about three years ago by the “Fujiko Sensei” channel is particularly popular.
It has a bright, rhythmic melody and includes the cooking steps: sautéing ingredients like onions, carrots, potatoes, and chicken, adding water to simmer, and finally adding the roux.
It can be used as part of food education, and singing it on days when cream stew is served for school lunch is likely to really spark children’s interest.
Bear Cub in FebruaryLyrics by Tamiko Hirai / Music by Toshiharu Ichikawa
Koguma no Nigatsu (Little Bear in February) is a song that expresses how a bear feels as it tries to emerge from its den on a cold winter’s day.
Its simple melody, often performed on piano or harmonica, has made it widely loved.
It has also appeared in elementary school music textbooks, so some people may already know it.
You can picture a bear poking its face out as pure white snow falls.
At about 50 seconds long, it’s a short piece that’s perfect as a child’s first nursery song.
Give this winter song a listen—it will make you look forward to spring.
Quiet Christmas
The songs by the duo Toshihiko Shinzawa and Hirotaka Nakagawa are filled with masterpieces that warm the listener’s heart.
This piece, included on the album “Happy Kids X’mas! Christmas Song Best ~With BGM for Parties~,” released by King Records in November 2019, gently portrays a quiet Christmas night.
The lyrics, which describe various people drifting off to sleep—such as shepherds, a shoeshine boy, and the little match girl—leave a strong impression.
Coupled with its calm melody, it brings peace to those who listen.
It’s often sung at Christmas events in nurseries and kindergartens, and singing it together with children will surely make for wonderful memories.