Everyday ELLA ideas for counting

Teaching simple counting is easy and fun. Saying numbers in order from memory is called rote counting. Counting in a different language is a good starting point for language learning and maths. It can help children learn that number concepts are more than just the words we use. Watch your child’s excitement as you learn to count together in another language!

Everyday counting

Make counting part of your day.

• Count the socks as you sort them.
• Count apples as you put them in the supermarket trolley.
• Count people, cars or bikes going past.

Solve simple problems

Asking your child to solve simple problems helps to give meaning to counting.

• If there are four people having afternoon tea, how many biscuits will we need?
• Set the table for dinner. How many plates, forks and spoons will we need?

Play ‘number soup’

Practise counting with this simple game.

Equipment

• 1 large bowl or wok
• 1 pair of tongs or chopsticks
• 4–9 small containers, each holding items from home, such as marbles, shells, pasta spirals, milk bottle lids, buttons or pompoms. These are your ‘ingredients’.

Instructions

1. Your child says, ‘Tell me a number for the soup’.
2. You say a number between 1 and 10 in the chosen language; for example, 2.
3. Your child then uses the tongs or chopsticks to count 2 of each ingredient into the bowl or wok, and stirs to create your number soup!
4. With your child, count the soup ingredients in your chosen language.
5. Together, pretend to eat the soup. Yum!

Print a number chart and learn to count with your child in a new language!

There is a number chart for each language. The chart includes:

• the numeral
• the number in the language
• a pronunciation guide
• an image of balloons to match the number.

Choose the chart for the language your child is learning.

Arabic

واحد

waHid

Picture of one blue balloon

2

إثنان

ithnaan

Picture of two green balloons

3

ثالثة

thalatha

Picture of three orange balloons

4

أربعة

arba'a

Picture of four pink balloons

5

خمسة

khamsa

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

ستة

sitta

Picture of six red balloons

7

سبعة

sab'a

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

ثمانية

thamaniya

Picture of eight green balloons

9

تسعة

tis'a

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

عشرة’

'ashara

Picture of ten pink balloons

Chinese

1

一

Yī

Picture of one blue balloon

2

二

Èr

Picture of two green balloons

3

三

Sān

Picture of three orange balloons

4

四

Sì

Picture of four pink balloons

5

五

Wǔ

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

六

Liù

Picture of six red balloons

7

七

Qī

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

八

Bā

Picture of eight green balloons

9

九

Jiǔ

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

十

Shí

Picture of ten pink balloons

French

1

Un

Picture of one blue balloon

2

Deux

Picture of two green balloons

3

Trois

Picture of three orange balloons

4

Quatre

Picture of four pink balloons

5

Cinq

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

Six

Picture of six red balloons

7

Sept

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

Huit

Picture of eight green balloons

9

Neuf

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

Dix

Picture of ten pink balloons

 

German

1

Eins

Picture of one blue balloon

2

Zwei

Picture of two green balloons

3

Drei

Picture of three orange balloons

4

Vier

Picture of four pink balloons

5

Fünf

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

Sechs

Picture of six red balloons

7

Sieben

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

Acht

Picture of eight green balloons

9

Neun

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

Zehn

Picture of ten pink balloons

Hindi

1

एक

ek

Picture of one blue balloon

2

दो

do

Picture of two green balloons

3

तीन

tīn

Picture of three orange balloons

4

चार

chār

Picture of four pink balloons

5

पाँच

pāṆch

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

छ:

chhah

Picture of six red balloons

7

सात

sāt

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

आठ

āṭh

Picture of eight green balloons

9

नौ

na̅u̅

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

दस

das

Picture of ten pink balloons

Indonesian

1

Satu

Picture of one blue balloon

2

Dua

Picture of two green balloons

3

Tiga

Picture of three orange balloons

4

Empat

Picture of four pink balloons

5

Lima

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

Enam

Picture of six red balloons

7

Tujuh

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

Delapan

Picture of eight green balloons

9

Sembilan

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

Sepuluh

Picture of ten pink balloons

Italian

1

Uno

Picture of one blue balloon

2

Due

Picture of two green balloons

3

Tre

Picture of three orange balloons

4

Quattro

Picture of four pink balloons

5

Cinque

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

Sei

Picture of six red balloons

7

Sette

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

Otto

Picture of eight green balloons

9

Nove

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

Dieci

Picture of ten pink balloons

Japanese

1

いち

Ichi

Picture of one blue balloon

2

に

Ni

Picture of two green balloons

3

さん

San

Picture of three orange balloons

4

し/よん

Shi/yon

Picture of four pink balloons

5

ご

Go

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

ろく

Roku

Picture of six red balloons

7

しち/なな

Shichi/nana

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

はち

Hachi

Picture of eight green balloons

9

きゅう/く

Kyuu/ku

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

じゅう

Jyuu

Picture of ten pink balloons

Korean

1

하나

Hana

Picture of one blue balloon

2

둘

Dul

Picture of two green balloons

3

셋

Set

Picture of three orange balloons

4

넷

Net

Picture of four pink balloons

5

다섯

Daseot

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

여섯

Yeoseot

Picture of six red balloons

7

일곱

Ilgop

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

여덟

Yeodeol

Picture of eight green balloons

9

아홉

Ahop

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

열

Yeol

Picture of ten pink balloons

Modern Greek

1

Ένα

Ena

Picture of one blue balloon

2

Δύο

Dio

Picture of two green balloons

3

Τρία

Tria

Picture of three orange balloons

4

Τέσσερα

Tessera

Picture of four pink balloons

5

Πέντε

Pente

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

Έξι

Exi

Picture of six red balloons

7

Εφτά

Efta

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

Οχτώ

Ohto

Picture of eight green balloons

9

Εννέα

Ennea

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

Δέκα

Deka

Picture of ten pink balloons

Spanish

1

Uno

Picture of one blue balloon

2

Dos

Picture of two green balloons

3

Tres

Picture of three orange balloons

4

Cuatro

Picture of four pink balloons

5

Cinco

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

Seis

Picture of six red balloons

7

Siete

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

Ocho

Picture of eight green balloons

9

Nueve

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

Diez

Picture of ten pink balloons

Turkish

1

Bir

Picture of one blue balloon

2

İki

Picture of two green balloons

3

Üç

Picture of three orange balloons

4

Dört

Picture of four pink balloons

5

Beş

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

Altı

Picture of six red balloons

7

Yedi

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

Sekiz

Picture of eight green balloons

9

Dokuz

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

On

Picture of ten pink balloons

Vietnamese

1

một

Picture of one blue balloon

2

hai

Picture of two green balloons

3

ba

Picture of three orange balloons

4

bốn

Picture of four pink balloons

5

năm

Picture of five yellow balloons

6

sáu

Picture of six red balloons

7

bảy

Picture of seven blue balloons

8

tám

Picture of eight green balloons

9

chin

Picture of nine orange balloons

10

mười

Picture of ten pink balloons

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