
Counting – Tatau Activity
There are so many easy way to teach tamariki to count.
Why do it?
Counting is a chance for tamariki to:
- get interested in counting things in their daily lives
- enjoy learning and singing rhymes and songs that reinforce counting skills in a fun way
- start to remember the order of number words used in counting, through repetition
- learn to count in the language of their whānau.
How to do it
- Include counting in everyday ways. ‘Two’ is a good place to start as we have many examples just on our body alone — eyes, ears, arms, hands and feet — and also in clothing — socks, jandals, gloves, gumboots and shoes.
- Count the steps together as you go up and down the stairs.
- Talk about the food on your plate: two pieces of toast, three carrot sticks and one sausage.
- Use counting as a way to get ready: ‘One, two, three, jump!’
- Count when setting the table: ‘One plate for me, one for Dad and one for Mummy.’
- Count when pretend playing: ‘A chair for me and a chair for Ted. Do you want two biscuits, Teddy?’
- Count cars when you’re out and about.
- Keep the counting fun and don’t worry if your tamaiti makes mistakes. Practice makes progress.
- Sing songs like ‘The three little kittens’, ‘Tahi, rua, toru, whā’ and ‘Six little ducks’, or counting rhymes such as ‘Two little dicky birds’ and ‘One, two, buckle my shoe’.
- Read picture books like ‘The three little pigs’, ‘The wolf and the seven little kids’, ‘Goldilocks and the three bears’ and ‘Ten in the bed’.
- Count out loud and point to the pictures in the book as you count them.
Using more te reo Māori
Te reo Māori | English |
---|---|
E hia ngā mea? | How many things? |
Tokohia ngā tangata? | How many people? |
Kotahi mā tēnā | One each |
E rua ma tēnā, ma tēnā | Two each |
E rua ngā pihikete māu | Two biscuits for you |