Hands up if you know the “Hokey Cokey”?
Here’s a version to sing as a warm-up before clarinet and recorder lessons:
WORDS | ACTIONS |
You put your Left Hand in | Put your left hand in |
You put your Left hand out | Put your left hand out |
In, Out, In, Out, Shake it all about | Put your left hand in and out and in and out and shake it all about |
You do the Lokey-Cokey and you turn around | Wave left hand in the air, then turn round on the spot |
That’s what it’s all about | Hands down by sides |
Oh, Do the Lokey-Cokey (dramatic pause) | All raise left hand and wave it about, hold stil during the pause so you can check which hand they are using |
Oh, Do the Lokey-Cokey (dramatic pause) | All raise left hand and wave it about, hold stil during the pause so you can check which hand they are using |
Oh, Do the Lokey-Cokey (dramatic pause) | All raise left hand and wave it about, hold stil during the pause so you can check which hand they are using |
Knees Bend, hands up, Ra Ra Ra | Bend your knees and straighten up, raise both hands. Then hands down ready to sing again |
Usually the children work out why I call it the “Lokey-Cokey” and not the “Hokey-Cokey” by themselves.
Once you have sung it through a couple of times, you can make it more competitive by saying anyone who uses the wrong hand “out”.
“Teacher Moment” – I started a year 3 beginner recorder class by singing the “Hokey Cokey just as a warm-up activity. It kind of evolved into the “Lokey Cokey” as we went along; I encouraged the children to secretly check which hand is which by holding their hand out, palm down, and seeing if it formed a letter “L” when they stuck their thumb out at right-angles. The “teacher moment” occurred when one bright lad cried out “Ah, that’s why we were singing the “Lokey-Cokey!” when I reminded the children to make sure they had their left hand “on top” when we started to play the recorders. I was so pleased that I forgot to remind him he hadn’t put any of his hands up before calling out!