Hoky Poky, Winky Wum Lyrics
A counting-out chant of nonsense words that asks how you like your potatoes cooked and finishes with 'You are out!' to pick who sits out of a game.
Hoky Poky, Winky Wum
Hoky poky, winky wum,
How do you like your 'taters done?
Snip, snap, snorum,
High popolorum,
Kate go scratch it,
You are out!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/hoky-poky-winky-wum/
- Type
- Counting Rhymes
- Tune
- Chanted while pointing at each child
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Hoky poky, winky wum | Point at a different child on each beat. |
| Snip, snap, snorum | Clap your hands together on each of the three words. |
| You are out! | Point at the child who is chosen and call out the last words. |
What Does Hoky Poky, Winky Wum Mean?
This is a rhyme for choosing who is out of a game, the way "eeny, meeny" is used. The leader says one word for each child and ends on the child who gets "You are out!". Most of the words are made-up sounds, apart from the question about how you like your 'taters, a short way of saying potatoes, cooked.
The funny words are the point. Children enjoy saying them quickly, and the last line gives a clear answer so there is no quarrel about who is out.
History and Origin
Robert Ford prints the rhyme in Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories as an example of a counting-out rhyme from America. He says the first line is either borrowed from a college song or lent to it, so the two have a link, but he does not say which came first.
The same page also gives a few other chants of the same kind, including one about a rattlesnake and a jelly-cake.
Learning Activities
- Choose a leader: use the rhyme to decide who goes first in a game.
- Speed it up: say the rhyme fast and slow and see which suits the group.
- Make your own: invent a counting-out rhyme with funny words.
- Potato printing: cut a potato in half and use it to stamp patterns.