Preschool numbers songs
15 Preschool Counting Songs, Fingerplays & Rhymes
Inside: 15 fun counting rhymes and songs for preschool and kindergarten.
Songs and rhymes are a staple of the preschool and kindergarten classroom, and have been for generations. This list of counting rhymes and songs includes many of my personal favourites from my preschool classroom days, that I have also loved singing at home with my own kids since becoming a mum.
I have included a fun printable set of song cards and song stick toppers that you can download and print at the bottom of this post.
Glue or tape the toppers to a craft stick and you have a fun classroom resource – the children will love taking turns to choose a counting song to sing!
15 Counting Rhymes and Songs for Preschool & Kindergarten
Here is the Beehive
Here is the beehive (make a fist)
Where are the bees?
Hiding inside where nobody sees
Watch them come creeping out of the hive
One, two, three, four, five (release one finger at a time from the fist/hive)
…BUZZ-ZZZ (wiggle fingers)
Five Currant Buns
Five currant buns in a baker’s shop (hold up five fingers)
Big and round with a cherry on the top (draw a circle in the air
Along came a girl/boy (or child’s name) with a penny one day,
Bought a currant bun and took it away (tuck one finger down into fist).
Four currant buns in a baker’s shop…
(Continue until no currant buns are left in the baker’s shop).
Five Green, Speckled Frogs
Five green and speckled frogs (hold up five fingers)
Sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious bugs,
Yum, yum! (rub tummy with other hand)
One jumped into the pool (tuck one finger down)
Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were four green speckled frogs,
Glub, glub!
Four green and speckled frogs…
(Continue until there are no speckled frogs on the log).
Five Little Ducks
Five little ducks went swimming one day (hold up five fingers)
Over the hills and far away (hold arm across body and tuck fingers behind shoulder on the opposite side of the body)
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack” (use other hand to make a mother duck beak and open and close hand to quack)
But only four little ducks came back (bring first hand back to the front with four fingers showing
Continue until no little ducks came back, then;
Old Mother Duck went out one day,
Over the hills and far away,
Mother Duck said “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
And all of those five little ducks came back.
Five Jellyfish
Five jellyfish,
five jellyfish (hold up five fingers)
Five jellyfish sitting on a rock.
One jumped off!
Splash! (tuck one finger down into a fist)
Four jellyfish…
No jellyfish,
no jellyfish,
No jellyfish sitting on a rock.
One jumped up! Hooray!
One jellyfish…
The Ants Go Marching
The ants go marching one by one (hold up one finger)
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching one by one,
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb (pretend to suck thumb)
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain.
The ants go marching two by two (hold up two fingers)
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching two by two,
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching two by two,
The little one stops to tie his shoe (pretend to tie shoe)
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain.
The ants go marching three by three (hold up three fingers)
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching three by three,
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching three by three,
The little one stops to climb a tree (pretend to climb a tree)
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain.
The ants go marching four by four (hold up four fingers)
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching four by four,
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching four by four,
The little one stops to shut the door (pretend to shut a door)
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain.
The ants go marching five by five (hold up five fingers)
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching five by five,
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching five by five,
The little one stops to take a dive (pretend to dive)
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain.
The ants go marching six by six (hold up six fingers)
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching six by six,
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching six by six,
The little one stops to pick up sticks (pretend to pick up sticks)
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain.
The ants go marching seven by seven (hold up seven fingers)
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching seven by seven,
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching seven by seven,
The little one stops to pray to heaven (pretend to pray)
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain.
The ants go marching eight by eight (hold up eight fingers)
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching eight by eight,
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching eight by eight,
The little one stops to shut the gate (pretend to shut a gate)
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain.
The ants go marching nine by nine (hold up nine fingers)
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching nine by nine,
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching nine by nine,
The little one stops to check the time (pretend to check wristwatch)
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain.
The ants go marching ten by ten (hold up ten fingers)
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching ten by ten,
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching ten by ten,
The little one stops to shout
“THE END!!”
One Grey Elephant Balancing
One grey elephant balancing (with all children sitting in a circle, choose one child to be the first elephant pretending to balance on a string going around and around the inside of the circle)
Step-by-step on a piece of string.
Thought it was such a wonderful stunt.
That he called for another elephant (first elephant chooses another child to join him)
Two grey elephants balancing.
Step-by-step on a piece of string.
Thought it was such a wonderful stunt.
That they called for another elephant.
Continue until all of the children are balancing on the string
(Number) grey elephants balancing.
Step-by-step on a piece of string.
All of a sudden the piece of string broke.
And down came all the ‘ele-folk’.
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
One, two buckle my shoe (pretend to tie shoe)
Three, four knock on the door (pretend to knock on door)
Five, six pick up sticks (pretend to pick up sticks)
Seven, eight lay them straight (pretend to lay sticks down)
Nine, ten a big fat hen!
5 Cheeky Monkeys Jumping On The Bed
Five cheeky monkeys jumping on the bed (hold up five fingers and make them jump up and down)
One fell off and bumped his head (rub head)
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said (pretend to call on phone)
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed” (wag pointer finger like scolding someone)
Four cheeky monkeys jumping on the bed….
There Were Ten In The Bed
There were ten in the bed,
And the little one said, ‘Roll over, roll over’,
So they all rolled over and one fell out.
There were nine in the bed…
Ten Cheeky Monkeys Swinging in the Tree
Ten cheeky monkeys swinging in the tree (hold up ten fingers and swing hands from side to side)
Teasing Mr Crocodile, “You can’t catch me!”
Along came Mr Crocodile as quiet as can be,
And SNAP! (snap hands together)
Nine cheeky monkeys swinging in the tree…
One Potato, Two Potato
One potato, two potato
Three potato, four,
Five potato, six potato,
Seven potato, more!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive
1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Once I caught a fish alive,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on my right.
Johnny Works With One Hammer
Johnny works with one hammer (children hammer with one hand)
One hammer one hammer
Johnny works with one hammer,
Johnny works with two.
Johnny works with two hammers (children hammer with two hands)…
Johnny works with three hammers (children hammer with two hands and one leg)…
Johnny works with four hammers (children hammer with both hands and both legs)
Johnny works with five hammers (children hammer with both hands, both legs, and head)
Five hammers five hammers
Johnny works with five hammers
Johnny’s work is DONE!
Ten Fat Sausages
Ten fat sausages sizzling in a pan (hold up ten fingers)
All of a sudden one went BANG! (clap hands on loud bang!)
Nine fat sausages sizzling in a pan,
All of a sudden one went BANG! …
Please note: All Childhood 101 printables are for personal use only, you may not use any part of this content for commercial purposes-that includes selling the document, giving it away to promote your business or website, or printing the file to sell.
You may not share, loan or redistribute these documents. Teachers may use multiple copies for students in their own classroom.
Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.
10 Counting Songs to Teach Your Kids
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Counting songs are a fun way to teach your children to count forwards and backwards and can help build their developing number concept and early maths skills.
In this article I’ll share some fun rote counting rhymes to 10, for preschoolers and toddlers.
How Do Children Learn From a Number Song?
Songs with numbers help children to memorise the order of numbers to 10 and beyond, as well as to say the numbers backwards.
Children don’t have to be forced to learn the numbers in a boring way because they will be learning incidentally through singing.
The rhythm in songs and rhymes, as well as the repetitive verses, help children memorise the numbers easily and an understanding of the value of numbers is built.
When children sing a song about 5 of something, which then becomes 4 when one leaves, and then 3, they learn that a number is not just a word but it represents a value. They learn about one-to-one correspondence.
Any form of learning that involves fun and play is effective in early childhood. It is the natural way children learn.
10 Counting Songs for Kids
Here are 10 fun counting rhymes to teach your kids. Some are old favourites and some are newer rhymes.
Some of these teach rote counting forwards or backwards (e.g. reciting from one to 10) and some teach number concepts (e.g. there were 5, one fell off, now there are 4).
Watch the video below for a list of the songs or read on for the lyrics.
1. The Ants Go MarchingThe ants go marching one by one
Hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one
Hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one
The little one stops to suck his thumb
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain
Boom boom boom
Repeat the verses, changing the number of ants and the action line:
The ants go marching two by two
The little one stops to tie his shoe
The ants go marching three by three
The little one stops to climb a tree
The ants go marching four by four
The little one stops to shut the door
The ants go marching five by five
The little one stops to take a dive
The ants go marching six by six
The little one stops to pick up sticks
The ants go marching seven by seven
The little one stops to pray to heaven
The ants go marching eight by eight
The little one stops to roller skate
The ants go marching nine by nine
The little one stops to check the time
The ants go marching ten by ten
The little one stops to shout, “The End!”
Listen to the tune on YouTube
2.
Ten Green BottlesTen green bottles
Hanging on the wall
Ten green bottles
Hanging on the wall
And if one green bottle
Should accidentally fall
There’ll be nine green bottles
Hanging on the wall
Nine green bottles…
Eight green bottles…
Repeat verses until there are no green bottles left:
One green bottle
Hanging on the wall
One green bottle
Hanging on the wall
If that one green bottle
Should accidentally fall
There’ll be no green bottles
Hanging on the wall
Listen to the tune on YouTube
3. One, Two, Buckle My ShoeOne, two
Buckle my shoe
Three, four
Shut the door
Five, six
Pick up sticks
Seven, eight
Don’t be late
Nine, ten
Do it over again!
Listen to the tune on YouTube
4. Ten Little FingersTen little fingers, ten little toes,
Two little ears and one little nose
Two little eyes that shine so bright
And one little mouth to kiss mother goodnight.
There were ten in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over and
one fell out
There were nine in the bed…
There were eight in the bed…
Repeat verses until there is only one left in the bed:
There was one in the bed
And the little one said,
“Alone at last!”
Listen to the tune on YouTube
6. Five Fat SausagesFive fat sausages sizzling in a pan
The grease got hot – and one went “BANG”!
Four fat sausages sizzling in a pan
The grease got hot – and one went “BANG”!
Three fat sausages sizzling in a pan
The grease got hot – and one went “BANG”!
Two fat sausages sizzling in a pan
The grease got hot – and one went “BANG”!
One fat sausage sizzling in a pan
The grease got hot – and it went “BANG”!
No fat sausages frying in a pan.
Listen to the tune on YouTube
7. Five Little Speckled FrogsFive little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs.
YUM! YUM!
One jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were four speckled frogs!
GLUB! GLUB!
Four little speckled frogs…
Three little speckled frogs…
Repeat verses until there are no speckled frogs left:
One little speckled frog
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs.
YUM! YUM!
He jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were no speckled frogs!
Listen to the tune on YouTube
Here are more fun animal songs for preschoolers.
8. One, Two, Three, Four, FiveOne, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on my right.
Listen to the tune on YouTube
9. Five Little SnowmenFive little snowmen standing in a line
One, Two, Three, Four, Five
So fine
Melt in the sunshine with a sigh
We’ll see you next year
Bye Bye!
Four little snowmen standing in a line
One, Two, Three, Four
So fine
Melt in the sunshine with a sigh
We’ll see you next year
Bye Bye!
Repeat verses until there are no snowmen left:
One little snowman standing in a line
One
So fine
Melt in the sunshine with a sigh
We’ll see you next year
Bye Bye!
Listen to the tune on YouTube
10. RabbitsRabbits rabbits 1 2 3
Will you come and play with me?
Camels camels 4 5 6
Why do you have a hump like this?
Monkeys monkeys 7 8 9
Will you teach me how to climb?
When I have counted up to ten
The elephant says now start again.
Listen to the tune on YouTube
Those are 10 of my favourite counting rhymes but there are many more to choose from! Check out this awesome list of preschool songs.
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Incendiary dance music for children
Cheerful rhythmic melodies, under which it is so hard not to start an incendiary dance - an obligatory component of children's leisure.
You can listen to bright tracks with the help of a convenient player right here!
Listen to dance playlist
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1
02:45
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2
Aram-ZAM
02:01
- 9000 3
002 02:25
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4
chicken pi
02:44
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5
:24
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6
03:5000 9000 9000 9000
9000 9000 7000 Style -
8
U-I-I-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-AA 9000 9000
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Lambada
03:47 9000
- 9000 03:17
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11
mana-mana
01:33
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02:33
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15
Bachi juice VIRA
01:43 9000
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Tu-dery-Tumba
9000 04:36003
02:53
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18
Macarena
03:35
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1
Mambo
03:59
- 9000
9000 2
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21
Mexican dance with a hat
01:56
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22
Joe-vat eye
03:05
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23
9000 Fin Polka 9,0000002 02:44
03:32
13
Dog valve
01:17 9000 9000 9000 9000 2 Ducklings
02:31
Fun dance music for kids: turn on the good mood
Cheerful melodies without words that instantly grab the attention of young listeners are an important component of a wide variety of children's activities and entertainment.
The playlist can be used by parents for family home leisure, as well as educators and music workers in kindergartens, schools, dance teachers, coaches, and event organizers. Expressive and bright dance compositions will stir even the most shy listener.
This music can be used in different areas:
- For dancing. A large selection of rhythms and moods allows you to create a suitable playlist for classes and studios, as well as arrange a real disco right at home!
- For charging and outdoor games. It's nice to warm up to cheerful melodies, arrange catch-ups and other competitions. Children really like games where music is an important element of what is happening, they are more easily and with great pleasure are included in the entertainment.
- For holidays. It is impossible to imagine a birthday or New Year without the active participation of all guests. Turn on the player and start the party with the best children's dance tracks!
- For matinees and performances.
Choose compositions for interesting performances, memorable school performances, fun flash mobs.
On our site you can listen to many different tracks, and a convenient player and good quality of each track are guaranteed to delight children and adults of all ages.
Melodies and songs about winter, Christmas and New Year. From "The Nutcracker" to "Sorcerers".
Publications of the section Music
We listen to beautiful winter music and remember its history.
Dance of the Dragee Fairy from the ballet The Nutcracker
Valeria Kravchuk. Nutcracker. Night before Christmas (fragment). 2015. Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History and Art, Kaliningrad
Pyotr Tchaikovsky completed the music for The Nutcracker in December 1892. At the same time, the premiere took place at the Mariinsky Theater. In The Nutcracker, for the first time on the Russian stage, the celesta sounded - the youngest percussion and keyboard musical instrument invented 6 years before by the Frenchman Auguste Mustel.
Tchaikovsky, captivated by the gentle sound of the celesta, personally brought it from Paris. It was perfect for a musical Christmas story. Celesta sounded in the dance of the Dragee Fairy - at a ball in Confitenburg. The crystal chimes and the airy dance of the Italian Antonietta Del-era conveyed at the same time both the charm and the fragility of the fairy-tale world.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Dance of the Pellet Fairy from The Nutcracker
Polonaise from the opera The Night Before Christmas
Valery Leventhal. Sky over Dikanka. 1990. Sketch of scenery for Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Night Before Christmas. Museum of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia, Moscow
The opera The Night Before Christmas was created by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1895. The composer wrote the libretto for "There were carols" himself - based on the story of the same name by Nikolai Gogol. He introduced a lot of fantastic and pagan into the plot: "The fascination with myths and connecting them with Gogol's story is, of course, my mistake, but this mistake made it possible to write a lot of interesting music" .
The premiere of The Night Before Christmas was held at the Mariinsky Theater in December 1895.
Polonaise with chorus in the opera sounds when Vakula arrives at the royal palace. Pathetic music contrasts with other melodies of the opera - carols based on folk motifs, the elegant "Dance of the Stars" and the soulful arias of Oksana and Vakula. There is a festive ball in the palace - the courtiers in magnificent dresses and wigs perform a ceremonial dance.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Polonaise from the opera The Night Before Christmas
Waltz from the opera The Christmas Tree
Vera Pavlova. Illustration for Fyodor Dostoevsky's story "The Boy at Christ's Tree" (fragment). 1995. Literary and Memorial Museum of F.M. Dostoevsky, St. Petersburg
Vladimir Rebikov conceived the idea of writing the opera "Yolka" in the early 1900s. Its libretto was based on two works - "The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christian Andersen and Fyodor Dostoevsky's Christmas story "The Boy at Christ's Tree".
Their plots are similar: a child from a poor family does not find shelter on a festive evening and, as a result, freezes on an icy street.
Vladimir Rebikov's opera was a great success: it was staged many times in Russia and abroad. The most famous melody from "Christmas Tree" was the climactic waltz. The main character heard touching and sad music during her enchanting visions, after which she never woke up.
Vladimir Rebikov. Waltz from the opera "Yolka"
The song "A Christmas tree was born in the forest"
Yuri Vasnetsov. Herringbone (detail). 1940. Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum, Nizhny Novgorod
The text of a popular children's song was written by the Russian poetess Raisa Kudasheva in 1903. The poem was first published in the December issue of the Malyutka magazine - it was published in St. Petersburg. A few years later, agronomist Leonid Bekman created music for the words. He composed it for his little daughter, and since the scientist did not know musical literacy, his wife recorded the melody.
"Herringbone" has gone through several births. In the 1900s, it became a very popular Christmas carol, it was performed at home holidays, in grammar schools, and in orphanages. During the First World War, when Christmas was celebrated with restraint, the melody was forgotten a bit. After the revolution, the anthem of the religious holiday was completely banned behind the scenes. "Yolochka" returned to the third generation of Soviet children - at 1930s - and became not a Christmas, but a New Year's song.
The song "A Christmas tree was born in the forest". Words by Raisa Kudasheva, music by Leonid Bekman
Song "Five Minutes" from the film "Carnival Night"
Still from Eldar Ryazanov's musical feature film "Carnival Night" (1956)
In 1956, a song about the last five minutes of the outgoing year the whole country listened to for a year: the film "Carnival Night" by Eldar Ryazanov was watched by almost 50 million Soviet viewers, and the melody itself sounded from every radio.
Even today it remains one of the traditional songs of the New Year holidays.
The music for Five Minutes was written by composer Anatoly Lepin, and the lyrics by Vladimir Lifshits. In the film, the song of Lenochka Krylova, the heroine of Gurchenko, lasted five minutes and ended with the chimes. A decoration was made specially for the performance: a huge alarm clock, on the sides of which there were musicians from the orchestra. "Carnival" clocks also became a New Year's trend for many years - bright Christmas decorations - "no five minutes" soon appeared in every Soviet house.
Song "Five Minutes" from the movie "Carnival Night" (1956). Words by Vladimir Lifshitz, music by Anatoly Lepin
Waltz from the film "Snowstorm"
Oleg Pakhomov. Blizzard (detail). A sketch of the scenery for the play "The Tales of Belkin" based on the cycle of stories by Alexander Pushkin. 1990. Vologda Regional Art Gallery, Vologda
Georgy Sviridov wrote the music for the film "The Snowstorm" based on the story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin in 1964.
Waltz and "Troika", "Military March" and "Wedding" were performed on the radio, put on TV programs. 10 years after the film was released, Sviridov edited the score. It became an independent work - “Musical illustrations for the story of A.S. Pushkin "Snowstorm".
At the same time solemn and tender, the waltz sounds at the very beginning of the film, during the ball. Here the main character - Marya Gavrilovna - for the first time, albeit briefly, saw the one with whom she was to marry by mistake. The muted motifs of this melody are heard by the audience at the end of the film, when the characters miraculously meet again and recognize each other.
Georgy Sviridov. Waltz from the film "Snowstorm" (1964)
"Song of the Snowflake" from the film "Magicians"
A still from Konstantin Bromberg's musical feature film "Magicians" (1982)
Konstantin Bromberg shot the film "Magicians" based on the script of the Strugatsky brothers in 1982.
