Language focus: Numbers 1-20.

Classroom benefits: Count and move is a high-energy counting song. We've kept it super simple so that you can use it in a variety of ways (marching, passing a ball, counting objects, English aerobics, etc.!)


Lyrics and actions:

Let’s get started with some counting! (Make a circle or a line.)
Can you count to 20? (Everybody jumps up and says "YEAH!!!")
Here we go! (Start marching! The march leader, teacher or student, sets the pace.)
One! (Everyone responds “ONE!”)
Two! (TWO!)
Three! [THREE!]
Four! [FOUR!]
Five! [FIVE!]
Six! [SIX!]
Seven! [SEVEN!]
Eight! [EIGHT!]
Nine! [NINE!]
Ten! [TEN!]
Eleven! [ELEVEN!]
Twelve! [TWELVE!]

[The music quiets down here, so try singing quietly or whispering. If you are marching, start tip-toeing.]

Thirteen. [thirteen.]
Fourteen. [fourteen.]
Fifteen. [fifteen.]
Sixteen. [sixteen.]
(Back to the high energy music.)
Seventeen! (SEVENTEEN!)
Eighteen! (EIGHTEEN!)
Nineteen! (NINETEEN!)
Twenty! (TWENTY!)
YAY!!!!!! (Everybody claps, jumps up and down, and says "YAY!" )
That was fun!

Activity ideas:

March around the room and count together. This is a marching song, so just get up and go. Count on the beat or in a call and response (One…ONE…Two…TWO).

Mix up your marching.

Use tambourines, rattles, toy or real instruments, etc.

Give each kid a card with a number on it and when their number comes up, they hold up the card and shout their number. Let each child create and/or decorate their card, and then keep the cards for future activities.

Make a bit of an obstacle course, using boxes and hula hoops and chairs, etc., for kids to maneuver around, over, under, and through as they march.

Make special marching hats. Each time you sing the song, have a different child be the leader of the march (the drum major). S/he gets to wear a special marching hat…and maybe gets a whistle and/or baton.

Place number cards around the room and everybody points to the numbers as you sing them.

Listening to the song while seated, count objects. Give each child marbles (with supervision of course), straws, bean bags, etc., and let them count along with the song.

Do English aerobics! Do push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, etc. It's a great way to get the students excited.

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