How to Do the Hokey Pokey

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Stand in a circle with the other dancers.

   This dance is traditionally done with everyone standing in a circle, with enough space between each person so that people can move around without bumping into one another.
   
   You should have about an arm's length between you and the people on either side of you.
   
   However, if you're performing the dance for an audience, then the dancers will all stand facing the front, in multiple staggered rows if necessary, so everyone can see your moves.
2. 2

   Step 2: Put your right foot in.

   As the first lyrics go, "You put your right foot in." Simply place that right foot out in front of you and let it hang a few inches from the floor or just move it out in front of you and point your foot on the floor.
   
   You can keep your hands on your hips or at your sides.
   
   Most people like to sing the song along with doing the motions, so you can join the singing! This can get your energy up and make it easier to remember what moves to do next. , As the next lyrics go, "You put your right foot out." Just take that foot and move it back to its starting position, next to your other foot. , As the next words go, "You put your right foot in and you shake it all about." Now, just put that right foot in again and shake it back and forth, up and down, or however you'd like to shake it.
   
   Just make sure to keep your balance! , As the next lyrics go, "You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around..." Now, you can just place each arm out and up at your sides at a ninety degree angle, point the fingers of both hands and wiggle them up and down as you turn yourself around.
   
   This only takes a few seconds, so make sure to keep up with your fellow dancers! , After you're done turning yourself around, just clap once or twice at these lyrics.
   
   For a variation, you can clap your hands down on your knees instead.
   
   Congratulations! You've done one full cycle of the hokey pokey—now, you'll repeat these same motions with different parts of your body until the song is over. , Follow the lyrics, "You put your left foot in." Now, place your left foot in, a few feet out in front of you.
   
   You can either point it or let it hover a few feet above the ground; repeat whatever you did with your left foot. , Follow the lyrics, "You put your left foot out." Now, just move your left foot back to its original position. , Follow the lyrics, "You put your left foot in and you shake it all about." Now, just put your left foot back out in front of you and shake it around as much as you want! , Follow the words, "You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around." Simply do the hokey pokey dance again and turn around in a circle, so that you're facing forward again once the words are over. , After you're done turning yourself around, just clap once or twice at these lyrics.
   
   For a variation, you can clap your hands down on your knees instead. , As the first words to the song go, "You put your right hand in..." Just dip down a bit and place your right hand in to the center of the circle or out in front of you.
   
   You can leave your other arm at your side or keep it up on your hip, depending on what you and the group decide.
   
   It's that simple. , As the song goes, "You put your right hand out..." Now, take that right hand and place it back at your side or out at your side.
   
   Just exaggerate the gesture a bit.
   
   Again, keep your left hand either at your side or on your hip, depending on where it was before. , As the song goes, "You put your right hand in..." Just do exactly what you did before with your right hand. , Next, the song says, "And you shake it all about." This just means you shake that hand up and down, from side to side, or however you want to shake it.
   
   You can get a little crazy and really shake it up and down, depending on your energy level! , Follow the words, "You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around" and do the hokey pokey and turn around again. , After you're done turning yourself around, just clap once or twice at these lyrics.
   
   For a variation, you can clap your hands down on your knees instead. , Follow the words, "You put your left hand in." Place your left hand out in front of you. , Follow the words, "You put your left hand out." Just move your left hand back "in" and either return it to its original position or let it hover above your left side a bit. , Follow the words, "You put your left hand in and you shake it all about." Simply place that hand back in and shake it however much you want to. , Follow the words, "You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around" and do the hokey pokey and turn around again. , After you're done turning yourself around, just clap once or twice at these lyrics.
   
   For a variation, you can clap your hands down on your knees instead. , Follow the words, "You put your whole self in," and either jump around a foot into the center of the circle or lean your body forward.
   
   This is the final "body part" that you will move during the hokey pokey, no matter what variations may come before it! , Follow the words, "You put your whole self out." Now, just either jump back to your original position or lean back to your starting position, depending on what you did to "put your whole self in."
   
   Follow the words, "You put your whole self in and you shake it all about." Just move your body around from side to side, moving your hands up and down at your sides.
   
   You can lower and raise your body, shimmy, point your fingers, or really do anything you'd like to do in order to "shake it all about" once last time! , Follow the words, "You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around" and do the hokey pokey and turn around again.
   
   There are some variations of the end of this dance that repeat the words "That's what it's all about" an extra time for a grand finale. , After you're done turning yourself around, just clap once or twice at these lyrics.
   
   For a variation, you can clap your hands down on your knees instead.
   
   Congratulations—you're all done! Repeat as many times as you'd like until the fun wears off! , If you really want to be an expert at the Hokey Pokey, then you should know the song before you begin the dance.
   
   This will help you get oriented with what to do next with your body, and it will also just help you have more fun when you're doing the dance! Though the words change slightly depending on where and with whom you're singing them, here's what you should know:
   You put your right foot in You put your right foot out You put your right foot in And you shake it all about You do the hokey pokey And you turn yourself around That's what it's all about! You put your left foot in You put your left foot out You put your left foot in And you shake it all about You do the hokey pokey And you turn yourself around That's what it's all about! You put your right hand in You put your right hand out You put your right hand in And you shake it all about You do the hokey pokey And you turn yourself around That's what it's all about! You put your left hand in You put your left hand out You put your left hand in And you shake it all about You do the hokey pokey And you turn yourself around That's what it's all about! You put your whole self in You put your whole self out You put your whole self in And you shake it all about You do the hokey pokey And you turn yourself around That's what it's all about! , Though the version here only uses the arms, feet, and whole body, you can add as many variations to this dance as you'd like, as long as you still end with the whole body.
   
   Once you finish the arms and legs, you can also add other body parts, such as putting the nose, shoulders, knees, elbows, or even your bottom into the mix! You should also note that, in some versions of the song, the arms go in before the feet.
   
   It's all up to you! In some versions of the song, the lyrics for the lines that say, "You put your out," actually go, "You take your out," instead.
3. 3

   Step 3: Put your right foot out.

4. 4

   Step 4: Put your right foot in and shake it all about.

5. 5

   Step 5: Do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around.

6. 6

   Step 6: Clap at the lyrics

7. 7

   Step 7: "That's what it's all about!"

8. 8

   Step 8: Put your left foot in.

9. 9

   Step 9: Put your left foot out.

10. 10

    Step 10: Put your left foot in and shake it all about.

11. 11

    Step 11: Do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around.

12. 12

    Step 12: Clap at the lyrics

13. 13

    Step 13: "That's what it's all about!"

14. 14

    Step 14: Put your right hand in.

15. 15

    Step 15: Put your right hand out.

16. 16

    Step 16: Put your right hand in.

17. 17

    Step 17: Shake it all about.

18. 18

    Step 18: Do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around.

19. 19

    Step 19: Clap at the lyrics

20. 20

    Step 20: "That's what it's all about!"

21. 21

    Step 21: Put your left hand in.

22. 22

    Step 22: Put your left hand out.

23. 23

    Step 23: Put your left hand in and shake it all about.

24. 24

    Step 24: Do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around.

25. 25

    Step 25: Clap at the lyrics

26. 26

    Step 26: "That's what it's all about!"

27. 27

    Step 27: Put your whole self in.

28. 28

    Step 28: Put your whole self out.

29. 29

    Step 29: Put your whole self in and shake it all about.

30. 30

    Step 30: Do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around.

31. 31

    Step 31: Clap at the lyrics

32. 32

    Step 32: "That's what it's all about!"

33. 33

    Step 33: Learn the song.

34. 34

    Step 34: Add variations.

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