Hi, My Name is Joe « Library Storytime

Feeds:: Posts; Comments

Hi, My Name is Joe

February 7, 2008 by Josh Jubinsky

This activity is sure to get any group from 1st to 5th grade moving and having fun.

Tell the kids to do as you do. They’ll pick up on the words quickly.

“Hi. My name is Joe.
I have a wife and three kids and I work at the button factory.
One day,
my boss came to me and said,
“Joe, are you busy?”
I said “No”
He said,
“Push the button with your right hand.”"
(make the motion with your right hand)

You repeat this with…
…Push the button with your left hand.
…Push the button with your right foot.
…Push the button with your left foot.
…Push the button with your forehead.
…Push the button with your hips.
…Push the button with your bottom.

And then the next time he says…
”Joe, are you busy?”
You shout – “YES!”

Read an interesting (for you, not the kids) history of the inventor of everyone’s favorite button here. The delete button.

Posted in School Age - 1st to 5th | 4 Comments

4 Responses

on October 8, 2008 at 6:34 pm | Reply Amy Kukla

I use this song all the time as well, and teach it to parents and caregivers during workshops on how to make reading fun and during a Literacy in Motion parent/caregiver workshop. It works well with every adult I’ve taught as well.

Thanks for sharing!
Amy
on March 13, 2009 at 6:02 pm | Reply Meagan Albright

I use “Joe” in my storytime for children ages 3-5 every week – they love it! I do it as a call and response song using this version:

Hi
My name is Joe
And I work in a button factory
One day my boss came up to me
He said Joe
Are you busy
I said no
Push the button with your right hand

(repeat with left hand, right foot, left foot, head
… Are you busy? I said YES!)
on July 28, 2009 at 9:14 pm | Reply Sophia-Elisabeth

I use this activity often with my church class each year. This is an excellent way of getting every child involved with the activity and they all look forward to doing it.
Thanks for sharing!!
~Sophia-Elisabeth~
on August 7, 2009 at 5:25 pm | Reply Blu

Thank you so much for posting this!! I have been asking everyone I know if they have ever heard this song! I learned it many many years ago in Girl Scouts. One day, the song popped into my head and I haven’t been able to get it out..
Even as I type this I’m laughing because I have finally found the song..It must have made quite the impression on me as a child Thanks again! B