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Why sing number songs?
An adding song
(or you can just chant it)
One little elephant went to play
on a piece of string one day,
he thought it was such enormous fun he called for another little
elephant!
Two little elephants.....
Repeat until you get to
Five little elephants went to play
on a piece of string one day,
they thought it was such enormous
fun
but...the string went snap and they all went bump!
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Actions
Turn one hand sideways, tuck your thumb in and
jump one finger of your other hand along the top of it.
Next time jump two fingers along, and so on.
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To help your child
Pause at the end of the verse and encourage your
child to predict the next number.
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When they are confident:
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increase the number, until there are ten elephants
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add on two elephants at a time
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sometimes add one, sometimes add two
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if they are really confident you can even add
on elephants ten at a time!
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A taking away song
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
In came the doctor, the doctor said
No more monkeys jumping on the bed!
Four little monkeys....
When they are confident:
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pause so they predict the next number
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increase the numbers in the rhyme
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take away two at a time
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vary the number taken away.
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Props and things to make
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You can make little finger puppets to go with the rhymes.
The simplest way is just to draw faces on fingernails with non-toxic
felt tip pens.
Or you can make puppets by folding or sticking paper over fingers
and drawing on that, or cutting fingers off old gloves...
You can also use written numbers on pieces of card or paper;
ask your child to find the right numbers
as you sing the song. (Or stick up magnetic numbers...)
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Other songs you or your child may know
Five little ducks
Five little speckled frogs
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Songs with bigger numbers
There were ten in the bed
Ten brown teddies sitting on the wall (probably more familiar as
ten green bottles)
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A doubling rhyme
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One and one make two
Hold up two thumbs.
Saying how do you do.
The thumbs bow to each other.
Two and two are four
Hold up thumb and first finger on each hand.
Looking at the door.
Make thumbs and first fingers into
'glasses' hold up to eyes to look at the door.
Three and three make six
Put the other three fingers on
both hands next to each other,
Standing up like sticks.
and hold up straight.
Four and four make eight
Hold four fingers of each hand sideways,
touch fingertips to make a gate,
Open up the gate.
open and shut the 'gate'.
Five and five are ten
hold up fingers on both hands
Little flapping wren.
join thumbs and flap fingers.
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Extra ways to get more number rhymes:
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books, tapes, videos.
You, your friends or members of your family will all know some
other number rhymes to share.
Your child may know some from TV programmes and playgroup or
nursery.
You could collect these and make a book of number rhymes together,
drawing pictures to go with them.
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What will your child be learning?
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number words
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counting forwards and backwards
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how many fingers go with the numbers
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words like adding one, or taking one away
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working things out in their heads, saying how many one less
will be
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additions like 'two and two makes four' by using their fingers
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