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Counting theme for 3 and 4 year olds: a week of activities

A counting theme lesson plan for 3 and 4 year olds: what a day looks like, then the week's circle time (ten to fifteen minutes, with a child holding the book), books, craft, song, snack, letter and outside time, each with what changes at this age.

Plan this week for 3 and 4 year oldsThe whole counting week

A day of the counting theme with 3 and 4 year olds

  1. Arrival, sign-in, and a job from the helper chart.
  2. Circle (ten to fifteen minutes): calendar, “How many children are here today?”, sing “one, two, buckle my shoe”, then Ten Pigs.
  3. Centers, with the craft at one table: counting caterpillar.
  4. Letter N: trace it once, then hunt for N around the room.
  5. Snack: Trail Mix Your Way, with children pouring and counting.
  6. Outside: count and jump.
  7. Rest, then a longer read-aloud: Look at the Big Pig.

Counting circle time

  1. Good morning song, then say each name together.
  2. Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
  3. Ask: “How many children are here today?”
  4. Sing: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe.
  5. Read: Ten Pigs (level 1).

Threes and fours: ten to fifteen minutes; let a child hold the book.

Counting theme books

  • Ten Pigs (level 1, free on peabody.kids): Count the pigs to ten.
  • Six Cats, Six Hats (level 1, free on peabody.kids): Six of each, to count and match.
  • The Red Bus (level 1, free on peabody.kids): Count the animals getting on.
  • Look at the Big Pig (read aloud, level 4): A read-aloud: big and little, more and less.

Counting craft: Counting caterpillar

You need (4): paper circles, a paper head, crayons, glue stick.

  1. Glue circles in a line behind the head.
  2. Write or say a number on each.
  3. Count to the end of your caterpillar.

With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.

Counting song: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

The words

One, two, buckle my shoe; Three, four, knock at the door; Five, six, pick up sticks; Seven, eight, lay them straight; Nine, ten, a big fat hen.

Traditional; public domain. From Top 52 nursery rhymes with lyrics.

Counting snack

Trail Mix Your Way from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.

Swap: Peanuts → sunflower seeds (no shells).

Letter N activities

NnN is for number. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).

Threes and fours: trace N and n once, then find N in the room and in the book.

Outside activity: Count and jump

Roll a big die or hold up fingers; everyone jumps that many times.

Counting theme for toddlersCounting theme for 2 year oldsCounting theme, all ages

Checked 2026-10-30