Numbers

There are many ways to learn numbers. After a few years of classes I've noticed the children are drawn to the Song "Catch a Fish Alive".

One, two, three, four, five i caught a fish alive, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, I let him go again. Why did i let him go? He bit my finger so, which finger did he bite? The little one on my right.

Acting out this nursery rhyme is easy and before we start, we always talk about what color fish they would like to catch. It is usually their favorite color, or a rainbow fish, which is fitting, since rainbow fish are an actual type of fish. 

Here is a list of songs or nursery rhymes that also go along with counting...

5 Little Ducks 

Five Little Ducks went out to play over the hills and far away, when the mother duck said "quack quack quack" four little ducks came waddling back.

Four little ducks went out to play over the hills and far away when the mother duck said quack quack quack, three little ducks came waddling back.

Three little ducks went out to play over the hills and far away when the mother duck said quack quack quack two little ducks came waddling back.

Two little ducks went out to play over the hills and far away when the mother duck said quack quack quack one little duck came waddling back.

One little duck went out to play over the hills and far away when the mother duck said quack quack quack, no little ducks came waddling back.

But when the Daddy Duck said Quack Quack Quack! Five little ducks came waddling back!

5 Little Monkeys jumping on the bed

5 little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped its head mama called the doctor and the doctor said no more monkeys jumping on the bed. Four little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped their head. Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, no more monkeys jumping on the bed. Three little monkeys jumping on the bed. one fell off and bumped its head mama called the doctor and the doctor said, no more monkeys jumping on the bed. two littlle monkeys jumping on the bed one fell off and bumped his head mama called the doctor and the doctor said no more monkeys jumping on the bed. One little monkey jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head. Mama called the doctor and the doctor said. no more monkeys jumping on the bed.... No more monkeys!

5 Little Monkeys swinging from the Trees teasing Mr. Alligator can't catch me, can't catch me. Along comes Mr. Alligator sneaky as can be, and snaps that monkey out of the tree...Four...and so on

Repetition, repetition, repetition. Every time we meet  together we count. Always to twenty. Counting from One to Ten the children tend to pick it up quick, but the eleven to twenty can be a bit more challenging, especially around sixteen. When we count together, i make sure to say the sixteen louder, to help them stay on track.

Switching it up everyday makes it fun. We sometimes do:

twenty jumping jacks while we count, or

hop like a bunny twenty times.

Another favorite is counting like a great grandpa, or grandma. We pretend to have a cane and hunch over and count, in fact we did this today, and giggled as we went all the way to one hundred!