Ten Hands

No supplies needed today. Your child's own body is the counting tool. We count on fingers, then toes, then claps and stomps, all the way to ten.

What you need

• Ten fingers and ten toes

• A little space to stomp

• Optional: ten apples or ten toys to match

How to do it

1. Fingers. Hold up your hands and count each finger as you wiggle it: "One, two, three… ten!" Let your child copy you.

2. Toes. Take off socks and count toes. Touch each one as you say the number. Kids think this is hilarious.

3. Claps. Say a number and clap that many times together: "Three claps! One, two, three."

4. Stomps. Now stomp the number. Big stomps, little stomps, fast stomps, slow stomps.

5. Mix it up. "Show me two fingers. Now two claps. Now two stomps." The number stays the same, even when the way you show it changes.

Why we love it

Fingers are the first counting tool every child has, and they're always there. When your child touches, claps or stomps once for each number, they're practicing one-to-one correspondence: one number word for one thing. Moving their whole body also helps the idea stick, and it burns off a little energy too.

Tips from our table

• Start small. If ten is too many, count to three or five and build up.

• Read today's book, Ten Red Apples, and hold up a finger for each apple, then put one down each time an animal eats one.

• Wrong counts are fine. Just count again together.

Shop these items

Everything mentioned in this post, in one place. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

• Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

• Shop everything for Week 2: Apples

• Starter supplies: the basics we use most weeks

• See every week in our Amazon storefront

More for this week: see all our Apple activities, Letter B activities and Number 2 activities.

Every child is different. Please use your own judgment about what's safe and right for your family. Always supervise children during activities and while eating, and adjust foods for allergies, dietary needs and your child's age and chewing ability. Sprocket & Sprout shares these ideas for fun and learning only. We are not responsible for any injury, allergic reaction, damage or mess that may result from trying them. This post may contain affiliate links; if you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.