Counting things: There are plenty of games where students count how many of something
there is. The best things for students to count are things that are around them in the classroom.
This is more fun and active if you ask them to run around and touch things as they count them
in response to questions like ―How many windows are there?‖ You can add more of an
intellectual challenge to this by half hiding some of the things (e.g. staplers and boxes of
crayons) around the room. This hiding idea can also be used with students sitting down by
using a Where‘s Wally-style detailed picture in which students must race to spot ―How many
giraffes are there?‖ by looking closely at it. A much simpler version is for the teacher to flash
up a flashcard with a number of objects on it for the students to count and shout out the number
as quickly as possible.
Counting songs can also be used at this stage if you use ones were the students can choose a
number, e.g. ones for selecting people like Bubble Gum Bubble Gum in a Dish (How Many Pieces Do You Wish?).
Students can also run around to practise counting up to different numbers by the teacher telling
them how many things they should look for and asking them to touch as they count them, e.g.
―There are five in this room. What are they?‖
Random numbers: Although they then go on to count, the last two ideas above already
involve students producing or responding to numbers without necessarily counting first. In all
the games below they can also count on their fingers etc but will find that learning not to need
to do so will increase their speed and so chance of winning.
The simplest games are those where the teacher shouts out a number and the students respond
in some way, for example:
Running and touching the figure on the wall
Running and jumping onto the figure sellotaped to the floor
Running and circling that figure or number of things on the whiteboard
Grabbing and holding up a flashcard with the figure on it
Holdingupthatmanyfingers
Holding up that many fingers between their group (with each person having to hold up at
least one)
Holding up that many arms amongst their group
Holdingupthatmanyobjects
Drawing that many objects, e.g. arms on a monster
Writing
thatfigure
Making that figure, e.g. out of pencils, paperclips, Playdoh or their bodies
Colouring that many things in the colour that the teacher says, e.g. ―Colour seven shoes
blue‖