Number Songs and Rhymes

Below are a range of number songs to support the teaching of counting, addition and subtraction. Number songs teach many elements of maths and also develop language and concentration. Children love singing and learning number songs which will also prepare them for when they start pre-school. Number songs can be incorporated into your daily routines for example through Sing Along Songs for the Car.

We also have a section on nursery rhymes which help develop your child's auditory discrimination and speech.

Counting Songs and number songs provide an ideal way to help your child develop numeracy skills from a young age. Encourage them to perform actions to accompany the songs using their fingers, teddies or even finger puppets. Number songs are easy for children to remember and can be an excellent starting point for counting and mathematical work.  When singing focus on teaching your child the order of numerals and counting. Encourage your child to do an action for each part of the song. You might want to buy a Counting Songs CD  so your child can sing along and do the actions or a book of 100 Number Rhymes. Once you have sung the songs with your child, they will quickly start singing the rhymes independently.

Five Currant Buns

Five Little Speckled Frogs

Five Little Ducks

Five Dinosaurs

Five Fat Peas

Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer

Five Fat Sausages

A Tall Silver Rocket

Ten Fingers

Ten in a Bed

Ten Green Bottles

Monkeys on the Bed

Beach counting

I Can Count

Three Ducks

Turtles

Round and Round the Garden

Rockets

Counting in Two's

Rhyme to help children write numbers

One Banana, Two banana

Goldilocks

One, Two Buckle My Shoe

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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,

And the little one said roll over, roll over

So they all rolled over and one fell out

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Five Little Speckled Frogs

Five 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 green speckled frogs

Glub, Glub,

Four 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 three green speckled frogs,

Glub, Glub

(Continue until last verse and then there were no green speckled frogs)

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Five Little Ducks

Five Little ducks went swimming one day,

Over the hills and far away

Mother duck said,

Quack, quack, quack quack

But only four little ducks cam back.

(Continue until one little duck)

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Five Currant Buns

Five currant buns in a baker's shop,

Big and round with a currant on the top,

Along came a girl with a penny one day,

Bought a currant bun and took it away,

Four currant buns in a baker's shop

(Continue until one currant bun is left in the baker's shop)

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One, Two Buckle My Shoe

One, two buckle my shoe

Three, four knock on the door

Five, six pick up sticks

Nine, ten a big fat hen.

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One banana, two banana

One banana, two bananas,

Three bananas, more

Four bananas, five bananas,

Six bananas, more.

Seven bananas, eight bananas,

Nine bananas, more

Ten yellow bananas!

--- 

Round and round the garden

Round and round the garden,

Like a teddy bear,

One step, two steps,

And tickle you under there!

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Counting in Two's

Two, four, six, eight

Meet me by the garden gate

If I'm late, don't wait.

Two, four, six, eight

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A Tall Silver Rocket

A tall silver rocket

Is standing on the ground,

Now it's nearly ready

Here comes the sound.

Ten, Nine, Eight

BLAST OFF 

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Dinosaurs

Five enormous dinosaurs

Letting out a roar

One went away, and

Then there were four.

Four enormous dinosaurs

Crashing down a tree,

One went away, and

Then there were three.

Three enormous dinosaurs

Eating tiger stew,

One went away, and

Then there were two.

Two enormous dinosaurs,

Trying to run

One ran away, and then there was one.

One enormous dinosaur,

Afraid to be a hero,

He went away and then there were zero.

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Five Fat Peas

Five fat peas in a pod pressed

(Child holds hand in a fist)

One grew, two grew, so did the rest.

(put thumb and fingers up one by one)

They grew and grew

(raise hand in the air very slowly)

And did not stop,

Until one day

The pod went POP!

(Child claps hands together)

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Monkeys on the Bed

Five Little 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.

Four little monkeys jumping on the bed

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Turtles

One baby turtle alone and new

Finds a friend, and then there are two.

Two baby turtles crawl down to the sea.

They find another, and then there are three.

Three baby turtles crawl along the shore.

They find another, and then there are four.

Four baby turtles go for a dive.

Up swims another, and then there are five.

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Beach Counting

One for the sun that shone in the sky.

Two for the ships that sailed on by.

Three for the castles I built on the sand.

Four for the seashells I held in my hand.

Five for the points on the starfish I saw.

Six for the crabs that scuttled ashore.

Seven for the waves that I managed to beat.

Eight for the pebbles I perched on my feet.

Nine for the boats that bobbed on the sea.

Ten for my toes that were wiggling free.

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Rockets

Rockets shoot off into space,

Hurry up it's quite a race!

Rockets make a big loud boom,

Heading up towards the moon!

Counting down before we go,

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, ZERO!

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Three Ducks (Tune of Twinkle, twinkle)

Watch the ducks and you will see,

They are waddling one, two three,

First the smallest leads the line,

Middle sized duck thinks second place is fine,

Biggest duck is third you see,

They are waddling one, two, three.

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Rhyme to help children write numbers

Number 1 is big and tall, stand him up so he won't fall.

Number 2 goes backwards and along, please make sure you don't go wrong.

Two little curls for number 3, one for you and one for me.

Number 4 goes down and across, give him a stick so he's the boss.

Number 5 is a funny chap, down fat tummy and give him a hat.

Number 6 looks like a curl in your hair, twiddle it around to show that it's there,

Number 7 starts with a hat, then goes down just like that,

Number eight makes an S then go back to join it up.

Number 9 is like a ball on a stick, start with a C then go up and down quick.

Number 10, that’s a lot of fun, write 1 and a nought and now it's all done!

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I Can Count

I can count, want to see?

Here's my fingers- one, two, three (Hold up fingers as you count)

Four and five, this hand is done.

Now I'll count the other one.

Six, seven, eight and nine (Hold up fingers on other hand)

Just one more, I'm doing fine.

The last little finger is number ten.

Now I'll count them all again.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!

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Ten Fingers

I have ten fingers (hold up both hands, fingers spread)

And they all belong to me, (point to self)

I can make them do things-

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight (make fists)

I can open them wide (open hands)

I can put them together (place palms together)

I can make them all hide (put hands behind back)

I can make them jump high (hands over head)

I can make them jump low (touch floor)

I can fold them quietly (fold hands in lap)

And hold them just so.

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Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer

Five little men in a flying saucer,

Flew around the world one day,

They looked left and right,

But they didn't like the sight

So one man flew away...WHOOSH.

Four little men in a flying saucer.... (continue singing until the last man has flown away)

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Five Fat Sausages

Five fat sausages sizzling in a pan,

All of a sudden one went BANG!

Four fat sausages sizzling in a pan,

All of a sudden one went BANG!

(Continue singing until the last sausage goes BANG! This could be sang with more sausages to develop subtraction further.)

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Ten Green Bottles

Ten 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 hanging on the wall,

Nine green bottles hanging on the wall,

And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,

There'll be eight green bottles hanging on the wall.

(Continue singing until only one green bottle is left)

One green bottle hanging on the wall,

One green bottle hanging on the wall,

And if that one green bottle should accidentally fall,

There'll be no green bottles hanging on the wall.

No green bottles hanging on the wall.

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When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears

When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears

Oh what did her two eyes see? 

A bowl that was huge

A bowl that was small

A bowl that was tiny and that was all

She counted them: one, two, three.  

When Golidlocks went to the house of the bears

Oh what did her two eyes see?

A chair that was huge

A chair that was small

A chair that was tiny and that was all 

She counted them: one, two, three.

When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears

Oh what did her two eyes see?

A bed that was huge

A bed that was small

A bed that was tiny and that was all

She counted them: one, two, three.

When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears

Oh what did her two eyes see?

A bear that was huge

A bear that was small

A bear that was tiny and that was all

They growled at her: grrr, grrr, grrr! 

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