Foxy's Hole Lyrics
Make a fist with a small gap at the top. Invite your child to poke a finger in. On the last word, close your hand and catch it. Foxy's Hole is a tiny game that makes three-year-olds squeal every time.
Foxy's Hole
Put your finger in foxy's hole,
Foxy is not at home:
Foxy is at the back door,
Picking of a bone.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/foxys-hole/
- Type
- Action Songs, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Put your finger in foxy's hole | Hold out a loosely closed fist with a gap on top. |
| Foxy is not at home | Let the child wiggle a finger inside. |
| Foxy is at the back door | Wait, keeping your hand still. |
| Picking of a bone | Close your hand softly around the finger and hold it for a second. |
What Does Foxy's Hole Mean?
The fist is the fox's den. The rhyme promises that the fox is out, picking at a bone by the back door, so it is safe to poke a finger in. Of course, on the last line the fox comes home and the finger is caught. Picking of a bone is an old way of saying picking at a bone.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell described the game in Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales (1849), explaining that the fist is held so a child's finger can be trapped while the top stays open. Finger traps like this appear in many countries, and the fun is always the same: the child knows the catch is coming and still cannot resist.
Learning Activities
- Swap roles: let your child make the den and catch your finger. Children love being the fox.
- Slow and fast: say the last line slowly one time and quickly the next, so the catch is a surprise.
- Soft catch: with toddlers, close your hand gently and let go at once with a laugh.