Hand Jive Warm-Up: Pats, Claps, Fists and Thumbs
A classic 1950s hand routine with thigh pats, claps, hand crosses, fist stacks and hitchhiker thumbs, danced to current songs with steps and travel added on. It builds rhythm, hand-eye coordination and expression, and it fits any classroom-sized space.
How to play
- Spread students out facing the front. Play a song around 120 beats per minute and tap the beat with your feet for 30 seconds.
- Teach the 16-count sequence, each move twice: pat thighs, clap, right hand over left, left over right, right fist on left, left on right, right thumb over the shoulder, left thumb over the shoulder.
- Practice for 2 minutes: first slowly while counting out loud, then at the song's speed.
- Add the legs for 2 minutes: step-touch, then step forward and back, and finally a quarter turn every 16 counts.
- In pairs, take 1 minute to swap two moves for invented ones, like a partner high-five.
- Final minute: the whole class forms a circle and performs each pair's version one after another.
Rules
- Do each move exactly twice before switching.
- Keep your personal space so no one gets bumped on the turns.
- Safety: keep partner high-fives gentle and at chest height.
- If you get lost, keep tapping the beat with your feet until you can jump back in.
Variations
Easier
Do the hand sequence only, seated or standing with no steps.
Standard
16-count sequence with step-touch, a quarter turn and a partner version.
Harder
Do each move only once at double speed, with the class traveling in lines that cross.
Adaptations
- Students with limited mobility do the full hand sequence from a chair and show the turn with the trunk.
- For students with autism or shy students, post a strip on the wall with the eight moves pictured in order.
- More advanced students add a hop instead of the step-touch to raise the intensity.
Learning goals
- Perform a rhythmic sequence of hand moves on the beat.
- Coordinate the hand sequence with steps and turns.
- Learn about and recreate a popular dance from another era to current music.
Equipment for a class of 25
- music (speaker): 1
Teacher tip
Briefly explain that this was a 1950s sock-hop favorite that works with almost any song today. It's easier to learn seated at first.
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