Notes:
The song in this lesson, "The Numbers Song", is great to use when you are teaching numbers and counting, but it can also be used as a fun warm-up or played at any point in the lesson. Our students just love this song and request to do it every class.
Lesson Procedure:
Warm Up and Maintenance:
See our "" page.
New Learning and Practice:
1.Play "The Numbers Song"
Play the song: Before even teaching any of the numbers, you can begin with this song. Get everyone to stand up and march along and do the actions. Make sure you do the actions with the kids so that they can follow you and copy what you are doing.
Lyrics for "The Numbers Song"
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Jump!
6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 Jump!
Turn around and clap your hands
And jump!
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Kick!
6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 Kick!
Turn around and clap your hands
And kick!
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Wiggle!
6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 Wiggle!
Turn around and clap your hands
And wiggle!
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Jump!
6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 Kick!
Turn around and clap your hands
And Jump!
Kick!
Wiggle!
And Jump!
(download MP3 here)
Gestures for "The Numbers Song"
First time you play the song do the gestures and encourage everyone to do them with you.
- As the music is in a marching-style, start off with everyone marching enthusiastically on the spot to the rhythm.
- Whilst marching, count off the numbers on your fingers as the numbers are sung.
- Do each action word (e.g. jump, turn around, clap your hands, etc.) at the point they are sung in the song.
We also have a video that you can stream in class to sing along with (Internet connection required):
2.Teach numbers vocab 1-10
Depending on the age of your class you can teach the numbers over a series of lessons. For under 3s, two or three numbers each lesson is fine, older students can learn more each lesson.
Sit the students down so they are facing you. Use some familiar objects to teach the numbers (e.g. in our case we use plastic fruit as we teach the fruit lesson before the numbers). First, elicit each of the fruit and put each one on the floor / table in front of you in a line. Then touch each fruit and slowly count (Teacher: "1 ... 2 ... 3"). Do this two or three times. Then have the class all repeat as you count / touch each fruit.
Finally, model this with a couple of students – ask one or two kids to touch and count the fruit as the rest of the class watches (give lots of encouragement and congratulate them when finished).
3.Students practice numbers 1-10
Put the students in pairs and give each pair a number of objects (e.g. 3 plastic fruit, 3 cars, 3 pencils, etc.). Have the students practice counting and touching the objects.
4. Play "Put in the box"
Now get a big box of objects and make sure you have enough objects of each category for the numbers you are teaching (e.g. 3 plastic fruit, 3 cars, 3 pencils, etc.). Throw the objects all around the classroom. Then choose a student and say “Marcus, put three (pencils) in the box”. As the student picks up each object make sure everyone counts along (1… 2 … 3). Then have the student count the objects as s/he puts them in the box. Do this with everyone. Finally, for a bit of crazy fun, throw all the objects out and let everyone scramble to find, count and put all of their objects back in the box again (all at the same time!).
5. Play "Classroom Touch"
Get everyone to stand up and then the teacher shouts out classroom objects for the kids to run to and touch (e.g. T: "Everyone touch three tables!", "Everyone touch three books!"). Possible classroom objects to touch: tables, chairs, cushions, pencils, crayons, books, windows, shoes, etc. A good idea is to prepare some pictures of items (e.g. 3 apples, 3 super heroes, 3 monster faces, etc.) and stick them on the walls before class. Then the students can run and touch these as well.
6. Sing "The Numbers Song" again
Sing the song again (with all the actions) to conclude the action part of this lesson topic. You can also put the song poster on the board for the students to follow as they sing.
7.Read classroom reader "Numbers 1-10"
Before class, download and print off the reader "Numbers 1-10". It's a really funny rhyming story which your students will enjoy. As you go through each page, point to the pictures and elicit the different animals and what they are doing, as well as counting how many there are:
Teacher: (pointing to the picture of the snakes on page 16) What animals are these?
Students: Snakes!
Teacher: Yes, that's right! How many snakes are there? Let's count together.
Students: (all together as teacher points to each snake): 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.
Teacher: Good! And what colors are the snakes?
Students: Green, yellow, red ... etc.
Teacher: That's right! (Reading) "8 long snakes ... (turns to the next page) ... what are these?
Students: Cakes!
Teacher: Yes! Birthday cakes! "8 long snakes baking birthday cakes!"
Get the students really involved in the story by asking lots of questions such as what colors the animals are and the funny things they are doing.
After reading the story, give out a reader worksheet to each student and read through the story one more time (without stopping for questions, etc.) as students trace the numbers. Get everyone to say the numbers as they trace them.
---
Alternatively, watch our video version of the reader (Internet connection required):
8.Do "Trace 1-10" worksheet
Finish with some quiet time doing a numbers worksheet. Use the "Trace 1-10" worksheet or any other numbers worksheet from our website (there are lots!). As the students are tracing the numbers, walk around, monitor and offer lots of encouragement. Ask everyone questions (e.g. What number is this?") and encourage each student to say the number as they are tracing it.
Wrap Up:
1.Assign Homework: "Trace 1-10 Match-Up" worksheet or any other numbers worksheet from our website.
2.Wrap up the lesson with some ideas from our "" page.
