Sneaky Learning with a Hokey Pokey Preschool Game

You won’t believe how easy it is sneak some learning into a Hokey Pokey preschool game! It’s a fun and engaging way to teach body parts, positions, and more.

Have you ever danced the Hokey Pokey with your kids? It’s a silly song where you stick your right foot into the middle of the circle, then stick it out of the circle.

Preschoolers love it! And you’ll love these fun ways to use the Hokey Pokey to teach your preschooler!

Table of Contents

Hokey Pokey Preschool Game

Teach Left and Right

Teaching preschoolers their left from their right is usually a time-consuming task that takes hours and months. So instead of drilling for days, weeks, and months, dance the Hokey Pokey instead.

First make certain the kids are indeed sticking their right or left arm or foot into the circle before you begin each verse. It usually takes me a few seconds to double check that the children have put their correct limb forward, but once that’s done the kids are good for the verse.

All you need to do is sing and dance the Hokey Pokey once or twice a day and you’ll be amazed how quickly your kids learn their left from their right.

Teach In and Out

The Hokey Pokey doesn’t just teach children their right from their left, it also helps to solidify the concept of in and out in preschoolers. First they’re putting their arm into the invisible circle, then putting their arm out of the circle.

To make the concept of in and out more concrete, you can even draw a circle on the ground with chalk. It helps small kids visualize putting their arms and feet in and out of the circle.

Teach Body Parts

Don’t limit yourself to singing verses with just arms and legs in the Hokey Pokey. Kids are capable of much more.

Instead remember to include left shoulder, right shoulder, ears, elbows, forearms, and other parts of the body. You can include toes, ankles, calves, and knees.

As your children grow and learn, you change the names of body parts in the Hokey Pokey to the names of the bones and muscles. This is fabulous for older kids who are trying to learn the names of various bones or muscles.

Teach Languages

In addition the Hokey Pokey is an awesome way to learn the various names of body parts in foreign languages.

You simply sing the Hokey Pokey in the language you’re learning or just replace the names of the various body parts with the appropriate word. Either method works, is fun, and will teach your children the various part of the body in both English and the language you’re learning.

After all, the Hokey Pokey isn’t just a fun dance. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to teach your preschoolers and have a blast doing so.

Have you danced the Hokey Pokey with your children?

Playing I Spy games for kids is an absolute blast! It's also an excellent way of teaching and reviewing letters, numbers, colors, and more with our kids.

Unstructured play time is important for a child's development. Discover what unstructured play is and the benefits of including it in your child's day.

Tara

Tara is the brains behind Homeschool Preschool, where her journey from preschool and public school teacher to homeschooling mom of three fuels her passion for early childhood education. With a blend of expertise and firsthand experience, Tara’s writings offer practical tips and engaging resources to support families in creating meaningful learning adventures at home.