April 23rd is Children's Reading Day: "Fingerplay Songs" Shine in the Digital Age, "Moving Picture Books" Connecting the World Become a New Culture
Timed with "Children's Reading Day" on April 23rd, "fingerplay songs" are being re-evaluated in the digital age and are gaining global attention as "moving picture books." With mandatory inclusion in childcare training in Western countries and popularity on YouTube, a new "Fingerplay Song Category" has been established, emphasizing the importance of parent-child physical communication.
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April 23rd is "Children's Reading Day."
And April 23rd to May 12th is "Children's Reading Week."
Do you think reading is only about reading books?
Now, "fingerplay songs," which involve singing and moving the body, are gaining attention from mothers and fathers around the world as new "moving picture books."
In the 2nd "New Picture Book Award Chosen by Readers," for which applications began on April 14th, a new "Fingerplay Song Category" was established.
We will delve into the mysteries of "Why are fingerplay songs considered reading??" and "Are fingerplay songs picture books?"
In an era where smartphones have become a part of parenting,
the experience of "parents and children sharing the same movements" is being re-evaluated globally.
In Western countries, Fingerplay has become mandatory in childcare training courses,
and "Cocomelon" and "Baby Shark" have recorded billions of views on YouTube.
Furthermore, in Japan, the educational YouTube channel "Bonbon Academy" (1.21 million subscribers) has released many fingerplay song videos.
"Teasobi-uta Medley for Everyone" (Bonbon Academy)
https://youtu.be/5bSLiLaNTP8?si=5G120PVBFJLytdFR
Over 110 million views! (Bonbon Academy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiApv1AXahs
This global spread indicates that fingerplay songs are a "universal children's culture."
By adding "movement" to lyrics and illustrations,
they evolve into "child-participatory moving picture books"──
This is the background to the creation of the "Fingerplay Song Category."
Precisely because it is the digital age, analog "movement" holds value.
Precisely because it is an era where smartphone-based parenting is commonplace,
the analog experience of parents and children interacting and moving their bodies together, away from screens, is being re-evaluated.
Scientific evidence shows that parent-child interaction promotes children's emotional stability, concentration, and language development. *1
This is precisely the "embodied communication" necessary in the digital age.
*1: (References: Garaigordobil, Journal of Intelligence, 2022 / AAP, The Power of Play, Pediatrics, 2018 / AAP, Power of Play in Early Childhood, 2025)
Fingerplay is mandatory for childcare workers in Western countries, a basic educational skill.
In countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, Fingerplay (fingerplay songs) is mandatorily incorporated into childcare training courses.
This is because fingerplay songs are widely recognized as an educational method that simultaneously fosters "finger motor skills," "rhythm," "vocabulary," and "social skills."
In Japan, there is also growing attention to its educational value, and efforts to actively incorporate it into childcare settings are progressing.
YouTube created "border-crossing fingerplay songs."
On YouTube, fingerplay songs are spreading like a universal language.
・Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes (USA): Over 180 million subscribers, viewed in over 100 countries.
・Pinkfong (South Korea): Global boom with "Baby Shark," over 12 billion views.
・Super Simple Songs (Canada): A classic channel adopted in educational settings, available in multiple languages including English, Japanese, and Spanish.
In Japan, the educational YouTube channel "Bonbon Academy" (1.21 million subscribers) also creates songs like "Iro Iro Nani Iro no Uta" that are easy to use in childcare settings and are popular with parents and children both domestically and internationally.
"Iro Iro Nani Iro no Uta" (Bonbon Academy)
https://youtu.be/JbOyljoXW7k?feature=shared
These demonstrate that songs and movements transcend language.
They are truly connecting parents and children worldwide as a "border-crossing children's culture."
Picture books + characters + movement = a new genre of "participatory picture books."
Fingerplay songs, like picture books, have "lyrics," "characters," and "stories," but by adding "movement" to them,
they create a sense of the child "participating" in the story.
This new expression of "participatory picture books" is the reason for the creation of the "Fingerplay Song Category" in the "New Picture Book Award."
Shuji Takahashi, producer of Bonbon Academy, says,
"Among the popular fingerplay videos released by Bonbon Academy, there are many fingerplay songs that have been created by people working in actual childcare settings and have been loved by children for decades."
"What kind of works will be submitted to the Fingerplay Song Category?"
And April 23rd to May 12th is "Children's Reading Week."
Do you think reading is only about reading books?
Now, "fingerplay songs," which involve singing and moving the body, are gaining attention from mothers and fathers around the world as new "moving picture books."
In the 2nd "New Picture Book Award Chosen by Readers," for which applications began on April 14th, a new "Fingerplay Song Category" was established.
We will delve into the mysteries of "Why are fingerplay songs considered reading??" and "Are fingerplay songs picture books?"
In an era where smartphones have become a part of parenting,
the experience of "parents and children sharing the same movements" is being re-evaluated globally.
In Western countries, Fingerplay has become mandatory in childcare training courses,
and "Cocomelon" and "Baby Shark" have recorded billions of views on YouTube.
Furthermore, in Japan, the educational YouTube channel "Bonbon Academy" (1.21 million subscribers) has released many fingerplay song videos.
"Teasobi-uta Medley for Everyone" (Bonbon Academy)
https://youtu.be/5bSLiLaNTP8?si=5G120PVBFJLytdFR
Over 110 million views! (Bonbon Academy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiApv1AXahs
This global spread indicates that fingerplay songs are a "universal children's culture."
By adding "movement" to lyrics and illustrations,
they evolve into "child-participatory moving picture books"──
This is the background to the creation of the "Fingerplay Song Category."
Precisely because it is the digital age, analog "movement" holds value.
Precisely because it is an era where smartphone-based parenting is commonplace,
the analog experience of parents and children interacting and moving their bodies together, away from screens, is being re-evaluated.
Scientific evidence shows that parent-child interaction promotes children's emotional stability, concentration, and language development. *1
This is precisely the "embodied communication" necessary in the digital age.
*1: (References: Garaigordobil, Journal of Intelligence, 2022 / AAP, The Power of Play, Pediatrics, 2018 / AAP, Power of Play in Early Childhood, 2025)
Fingerplay is mandatory for childcare workers in Western countries, a basic educational skill.
In countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, Fingerplay (fingerplay songs) is mandatorily incorporated into childcare training courses.
This is because fingerplay songs are widely recognized as an educational method that simultaneously fosters "finger motor skills," "rhythm," "vocabulary," and "social skills."
In Japan, there is also growing attention to its educational value, and efforts to actively incorporate it into childcare settings are progressing.
YouTube created "border-crossing fingerplay songs."
On YouTube, fingerplay songs are spreading like a universal language.
・Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes (USA): Over 180 million subscribers, viewed in over 100 countries.
・Pinkfong (South Korea): Global boom with "Baby Shark," over 12 billion views.
・Super Simple Songs (Canada): A classic channel adopted in educational settings, available in multiple languages including English, Japanese, and Spanish.
In Japan, the educational YouTube channel "Bonbon Academy" (1.21 million subscribers) also creates songs like "Iro Iro Nani Iro no Uta" that are easy to use in childcare settings and are popular with parents and children both domestically and internationally.
"Iro Iro Nani Iro no Uta" (Bonbon Academy)
https://youtu.be/JbOyljoXW7k?feature=shared
These demonstrate that songs and movements transcend language.
They are truly connecting parents and children worldwide as a "border-crossing children's culture."
Picture books + characters + movement = a new genre of "participatory picture books."
Fingerplay songs, like picture books, have "lyrics," "characters," and "stories," but by adding "movement" to them,
they create a sense of the child "participating" in the story.
This new expression of "participatory picture books" is the reason for the creation of the "Fingerplay Song Category" in the "New Picture Book Award."
Shuji Takahashi, producer of Bonbon Academy, says,
"Among the popular fingerplay videos released by Bonbon Academy, there are many fingerplay songs that have been created by people working in actual childcare settings and have been loved by children for decades."
"What kind of works will be submitted to the Fingerplay Song Category?"