Children's songs originated from the folk and have a long history. Nursery rhymes are also called nursery rhymes, nursery rhymes, baby nursery rhymes, nursery rhymes and nursery rhymes in various documents. There is such a record in ancient literature: "Yao Yin's surname was buried in Youkangqu and he heard nursery rhymes." (Liezi Zhong Ni) Therefore, some researchers compare nursery rhymes to "singing larks, which have been singing tirelessly for 3,000 years".

The earliest recorded children's song in China is "Bu Tongyu" in Zuo Zhuan: "On the third day, the dragon tail is excited. Holding the flag of Guo, quails are full of songs. Heaven has a plan, fire becomes an army, and the appearance is public. " It reflects the social reality of Jin Wu Guo.

Due to the limitations of the times and classes, and because China's feudal society for thousands of years despised children's education, most of the nursery rhymes in ancient books were "predictions" (instant political songs) reflecting the political changes at that time. Children's songs created by the masses in the life practice of educating future generations are rarely handed down. There are not many nursery rhymes sung to children in ancient books.

By the Ming Dynasty, the society's understanding of children's songs had changed, and some people of insight began to interpret the characteristics and functions of children's songs from the reality that children's songs were handed down from generation to generation, and the first collection of children's songs collected by Lv Kun appeared.

Lv Kun emphasized that the content of children's songs should be interesting and vivid, and the language should be popular and harmonious, so that children are willing to accept it. This shows that the intellectuals in Ming Dynasty, represented by Lv Kun, made a great breakthrough in the creation and research of children's songs.

By the Qing Dynasty, the collection, arrangement and research of children's songs had developed. Excellent children's songs have appeared in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, such as "Tian Lai Ji" and "Guang Tian Lai Ji", and anonymous manuscripts of children's songs have also appeared in the north.

Reformers and bourgeois revolutionaries in the late Qing Dynasty also saw the role of nursery rhymes and created many nursery rhymes to publicize their views.

In the May 4th New Culture Movement, under the initiative of Cai Yuanpei, Shen, Liu Bannong and others, the Ballad Research Society was established. Researchers also began to pay attention to the collection and arrangement of children's songs, which opened the prelude to the history of modern children's songs.

After the founding of New China, Chinese children's literature has made great progress, and the collection and arrangement of children's songs has been fully valued and developed.

From 1950s to 1960s, the arrangement and creation of children's songs entered a prosperous stage. At that time, a large number of children's songs were published, such as red children's songs, revolutionary red flags all over the mountains, and juvenile songs.

The collection and creation of children's songs in this period exceeded the previous level in both quality and quantity. The creation of children's songs has also seen a thriving scene.

With the deepening of people's understanding of the function of children's songs, the theme of children's songs is more extensive and interesting, the content is more colorful, the style is more novel and diverse, the artistic taste of children's songs is greatly improved, more writers devote themselves to the creation of children's songs, and more children's songs are published.

Ancient children's songs, bearing ancient beauty, collide with modern civilization, shine with wisdom and interest, show its new style and accompany children to the future.