Ten Top Number Rhymes
There are lots of number rhymes, and it is important to include both rhymes that start at five or ten and end with zero and those that start at one and end with five or ten (there aren’t many, so you will have to be inventive).
Collections of real objects or magnetic props help children to retell the rhymes.
Ten in a Bed
Ten Green Bottles
Five Little Speckled Frogs
Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
One, two, three, four, five, once I caught a fish alive
One Little Elephant went out to Play
Two Little Dicky Birds sitting on a Wall
Five currant buns in a baker’s shop
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the Moon
It is important that everyone knows the words to the rhymes and there are many websites that can help:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio/subjects/earlylearning/nurserysongs
http://www.teachingyourchild.org.uk/number-songs.htm
http://www.nurseryrhymes.org/numbers.html
Every setting needs a Treasury of Nursery Rhymes for practitioners to refer to, such as:
Matterson, E, (1991) This Little Puffin: a Treasury of Nursery Rhymes, Songs and Games, Puffin
There are lots of great children’s books around about number rhymes – here are a few:
Crisp, D (2005) Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer, Child’s Play
Smith, N (2013) Five Little Speckled Frogs, CreateSpace
Ives, P (2002) Five Little Ducks, Child’s Play
Dale, P (2007) Ten in the Bed, Walker
Freeman, T (2001) Ten Little Monkeys Jumping on The Bed, Child’s Play