Sharing Rhymes
1 bubble, 2 bubbles, 3 bubbles, top.
4 bubbles, 5 bubbles, 6 bubbles, hop.
7 bubbles, 8 bubbles, 9 bubbles, pop.
10 bubbles float down, time to stop.
Why number rhymes matter
Number rhymes can help children’s mathematical learning in many ways. They:
- expose children to the ‘sounds’ of number
- encourage children’s interest in number
- help children with early counting
- develop children’s awareness of subtraction
- help children to hear number patterns
Tips for sharing number rhymes
- Say rhymes slowly so that children can hear the words clearly
- Where possible, include props so that children can make sense of the counting
- Repeat rhymes several times so that children become familiar with them
- Look out for rhymes that count down as well as count up
- Make up some number rhymes of your own – for example, ‘There were four little children sitting on the ground’
Suggestions for sharing this rhyme
- Have some bubble solution and wand at the ready and blow a few bubbles before starting the rhyme
- Explain that this is a rhyme about bubbles
- Use gestures to the emphasise the rhymes – ‘top’, ‘hop’, ‘pop’ and ‘stop’
- Repeat the rhyme several times and encourage the children to join in
Ideas for extending the learning
- Make some bubble mixture with children using washing-up liquid and water
- Blow large bubbles by dipping the wide end of a funnel in the mixture
- Choose a bubble and count how long it takes to burst
- Roll a dice and ‘pop’ the number of bubbles shown on the dice
- Have a go at bubble painting. To do this, put a small amount of washing-up liquid or bubble mixture, paint and water into a container. Using a straw, blow into the mixture to create lots of bubbles, then gently place a piece of paper on to the bubbles, so they burst and leave an imprint. Repeat using different colours of paint to build up your picture.
- For this and other rhymes, visit: https://kcls.org/
- For other rhymes in this series, visit: www.nurseryworld.co.uk