England  ·  Halloween  ·  PreK–Grade 4

Hinx Minx
The Halloween chant
that startles every class

A classic Mother Goose chant performed in a darkened circle — hushed, hypnotic, and ending with a "BOO!" that students beg to do again every October.

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Song details
Grade PreK, K, 1, 2, 3, 4
Origin England (Mother Goose)
Activity Circle game, lights dimmed
Holiday Halloween
Singing Choral unison
Concepts
Choral unison Expression Listening

Why teachers love it

The chant that teaches listening better than anything else

1

Choral unison without a beat

Performing Hinx Minx together without a steady beat to keep everyone together forces students to listen and watch each other carefully. This is one of the most effective exercises for genuine ensemble listening in the elementary repertoire.

2

Expression with a real purpose

Students aren't performing expression for a grade — they're performing it to startle someone. The hushed, hypnotic delivery is in service of a goal they actually care about, making the discussion of vocal quality feel natural rather than forced.

3

Works from PreK through 4th grade

The chant adapts to any grade level. With younger students the "boo" is telegraphed gently, while with 3rd and 4th graders you can genuinely try to startle the class. The same activity feels completely different across grade levels.

4

The classroom teacher pickup moment

Hinx Minx can be performed for the classroom teacher at pickup — with the teacher sitting in the center of the circle. Students absolutely love doing this activity with their classroom teacher as the target. It's a memorable moment every October.

"Tell the class: 'I have a scary chant, and if anyone doesn't like to be scared, tell me, and I'll tell you ahead of time what's going to happen.' You'll probably find at least one child in every class who will want to know that there will be a loud ending."
DS
Deborah Skydell Pasternack
Kodály-certified music educator
The Chant
Hinx Minx, the old witch winks
The fat begins to fry, sssssss
There's nobody home but Jumping Joan
Father, Mother, and I
BOO!!

Grade-by-grade guidance

PreK–Grade 1: Take an obvious breath before the boo — don't actually try to startle young children. Keep it gentle.
Grades 2–4: Say boo loudly and suddenly. Students find it fun to be startled — but always offer sensitive students the option of knowing the ending ahead of time.
Grades 3–4 variation: Send a volunteer outside the door, teach the class the chant, then invite them back to sit in the center of the circle.

What members get

Everything you need to teach it tomorrow

🎬
Full teaching video
Deborah demonstrates the complete chant — including the hushed delivery, the dramatic motions, and how to calibrate the ending boo for different grade levels.
🎃
Circle game guide
Step-by-step setup for the darkened circle, the volunteer-in-the-center variation for grades 3–4, and the classroom teacher pickup activity.
🗣️
Expression discussion guide
Prompts for discussing vocal quality and expression with students — connecting the hushed, hypnotic delivery to the goal of creating a unified, startling ending.
🏷️
Concept notes
Teaching suggestions for choral unison, expression, and listening — with guidance on how to handle sensitivity to being startled across different ages.

More songs like this

Other circle games and holiday songs in the library

The Singing Classroom library has 150+ songs organized and tagged so you can find exactly what you need for every season and concept.

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Another Halloween favorite. A guessing game that pairs perfectly with Hinx Minx in an October music class.
Who's That?
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A circle game built around listening and watching — the same skills Hinx Minx develops. A natural companion in the same unit.
Naughty Kitty Cat
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Old Mother Hubbard
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Mother Goose / song card game

Another song from the Mother Goose tradition — a natural thematic companion to Hinx Minx for a nursery rhyme unit.

Questions

About Hinx Minx

Hinx Minx comes from a classic Mother Goose rhyme from England. It has been used as a Halloween classroom activity for generations — the hushed, witchy imagery and the sudden "boo" ending make it a natural fit for October music classes from PreK through 4th grade.
At the start of every class, tell students: "I have a scary chant, and if anyone doesn't like to be scared, tell me, and I'll tell you ahead of time what's going to happen." Take any sensitive child to the side and whisper that you're going to say a rhyme and then say boo loudly at the end. With PreK and 1st grade, don't actually try to startle the class — take an obvious breath before the boo and keep it gentle. Older children find it fun to be startled, but younger children need to be in on the surprise a little bit.
Before starting the game, ask for a volunteer who is very brave and "likes to be scared for fun" to sit outside the door while you teach the rest of the class. Then invite the child back into the room to sit in the center of the circle and have the entire class perform the chant. The more unified the "boo," the more startling and fun it is. Then ask for more volunteers to go into the center and see if they can be startled even though they know what's coming.
Yes — this is one of the most memorable ways to use Hinx Minx. At pickup time, ask the classroom teacher to sit in the middle of the circle and have the class perform the chant. Depending on the teacher's personality, you may want to let her know ahead of time. Students absolutely love doing this activity with their classroom teacher in the center.
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That's what makes The Singing Classroom different. Every song in the library — including this one — has a full video of Deborah teaching it with real students. You don't have to guess how to introduce it, how to structure the activity, or how to handle the tricky moments. You watch it. Then you teach it.

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Hinx Minx

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