Tooty Ta Cumulative Dance

A classic action song where each verse adds a new pose, such as thumbs up, elbows back or feet apart, that students hold while they keep dancing in place. It builds imitation, sequence memory and a warm-up full of laughter.

How to play

1. Spread students out facing the teacher with about 3 feet of space around each (30 s).
2. Teach the chorus: "A tooty ta, a tooty ta, a tooty ta ta", shuffling in place like a train (1 min).
3. Verse 1: "Thumbs up"; dance the chorus with thumbs up in front.
4. Each new verse adds a pose without dropping the earlier ones: elbows back, feet apart, knees together, bottom out, head back, tongue out, turn around (4 min).
5. Between verses, the class jogs a lap in place to stay active.
6. Finish by undoing the poses one by one and ending with a whole-body shake-out (1 min).

Rules

• Hold all the poses at once even if it's tricky: that's the fun part.
• If someone loses their balance, they reset and continue, with no teasing.
• Dance in your own space without bumping anyone.
• Listen to each new pose before you move.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: replace leg poses with arm or face poses.
• Hearing impairment: show a card with a drawing of each new pose.
• Shyness: let the student start at the back of the group and dance with a trusted buddy.

Learning goals

• Imitate a model's poses accurately.
• Remember a cumulative sequence of movements.
• Enjoy a traditional action song as a group.

Equipment for a class of 25

• music: 1

Teacher tip

If you don't have a recording, it is easy to sing: the key is a strong, steady chorus. The tongue-out pose always gets laughs; use it to relax the class before the main activity.

More activities like this

More warm-ups for Elementary