Rhymes can be used for any number of learning activities – for strengthening language skills, for boosting vocabulary, and for counting skills. Your preschooler will find counting and memorizing numbers becomes easier if counting rhymes are a part of his routine at home.

Younger kids are already familiar with 1-2-3, but find themselves getting stuck as they progress beyond these. Recite these rhymes together as you’re fixing dinner, in the car, during bath time. Practice makes permanent where numerals are concerned.

Here are some counting rhymes for the both of you to enjoy. Use plenty of actions, and encourage her to use her fingers and toes to count out the numbers, and hold them up.

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

One, two, buckle my shoe,

Three, four, shut the door,

Five, six, pick up sticks,

Seven, eight, lay them straight,

Nine, ten, a big fat hen,

Eleven, twelve, dig and delve

Thirteen, fourteen, maids are courting

Fifteen, sixteen, maids are kissing

Seventeen, eighteen, maids are waiting

Nineteen, twenty, my plate’s empty.

Fish Alive

One, 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?

The little finger on the right.

Use these rhymes to practice subtraction and counting backwords:

Ten green bottles

Ten green bottles standing on the wall,

Ten green bottles standing on the wall,

And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,

There’ll be nine green bottles standing on the wall,

Nine green bottles standing on the wall,

And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,

There’ll be eight green bottles hanging on the wall,

One little, 2 little, 3 little Indians,

4 little, 5 little, 6 little Indians,

7 little, 8 little, 9 little Indians,

Ten little Indian boys!

10 little, nine little, 8 little Indians

7 little, six little, five little Indians

4 little, 3 little, 2 little Indians

1 little Indian boy!

This is a popular rhyme that’s best when recited with lots of actions.

This old man

This old man he played one, (let her hold up her thumb)

He played knick knack on my thumb (let her tap two thumbs together)

With a knick knack paddy whack (put one fist on top of the other)

Give a dog a bone (make an action of handing over a bone to a dog)

This old man came rolling home (let her roll her arm one over the other).

Proceed to “two” till you’ve covered all numbers till 10. Use these rhyming words

Two – shoe

Three – on my knee

Four – on my door

Five – on my hive

Six – on my sticks

Seven – up in heaven

Eight – on my gate

Nine – on my spine

Ten – once again.

Change the words to other rhymes and songs to create new counting rhymes:

When the Numbers go Marching In (Sung to When the saints go marching in)

O, when the numbers go marching in

O, when the numbers go marching in,

We will count them one by one,

When the numbers go marching in,

O one two three and four five six,

Seven and eight nine and ten,

When we finish all our numbers,

We will count them once again.

Sing a Song of Numbers ( sung to Sing a song of Six Pence)

Sing a song of numbers,

Count them one by one,

Sing a song of numbers,

We’ve only just begun,

One, two, three, four, five, six,

Seven, eight, nine and ten,

When we finish counting them,

We’ll start over again.

Count our Numbers (sung to Oh my Darling Clementine)

Count our numbers, count our numbers,

Count our numbers everyday,

Oh it’s fun to count our numbers,

Count with Mommy every day.

One, two, three, four,

Five, six, seven, eight,

Nine and ten we’ll count today,

It’s so fun to count together,

One to ten and then again.

Show me One (sung to Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

One, one show me one,

Show me one right now,

One, one show me one

Show me one right now.

Proceed with other numbers.

The Number Song (sung to Mary had a little lamb)

Number one is o-n-e, o-n-e, o-n-e,

Number one is o-n-e,

That spells number one .

Use for numbers two, six, and ten.

The Number Song II (sung to Skip to my Lou)

T-h-r-e-e

T-h-r-e-e

T-h-r-e-e

That spells number three.

Use for numbers, four, five and nine.

The Number Song III (sung to The Farmer’s in the Dell)

S-e-v-e-n,

S-e-v-e-n,

Hi ho the derry o,

That spells number seven.

Use for number eight too.

Enjoy!