Counting songs are one of my secret weapons to teach math skills! Since preschoolers learn so well through songs and movement, adding daily counting songs to your home or classroom is not only fun, it makes a lasting impact on your kids’ development of number sense. So sing and count away!
1,2,3,4,5,6,7…you know the rest! Why exactly is counting so important? It is the foundation upon which we build future math skills.
Through counting, kids learn that there is a consistent numeric value to an object or group of objects. It is all a part of number sense, which is a very crucial component in preschool math. Counting is the foundation of many concepts, including addition and eventually multiplication.
Counting Songs
We can’t wait to share our favorite counting songs with you! We’ve broken them into three categories:
- Counting Songs for Preschool
- Counting Backwards Songs
- Counting Movement Songs for Preschool
The videos that go along with the songs are super sweet, but don’t worry if you don’t have a way to show them in your classroom. Just playing the audio is just as valuable – maybe even more so, as it promotes critical listening!
How to Stream Music in the Classroom or at Home
If you want to get songs without the ads from YouTube, there are a couple of simple solutions. You can play the songs directly from this post, and it should take away most of the ads. Of course, screen the song first to make sure it works for your needs.
If you are using just audio, I have Amazon Music Unlimited. It isn’t free, but well worth it for me because I use it each day between the classroom and home. If you would want to download more than 10 songs a month, it’s worth its weight in gold!
It’s compatible with your phone, electronic devices, Alexa, and computer. What’s great is that I can download the songs while I’m home on my phone using wifi with the Amazon Music app. Then the songs are always there on my phone, and I can play them in the classroom, the car, or anywhere else.
There is also a 2 million song music library with Amazon Prime. That’s how I started, but then I eventually switched to Amazon Music Unlimited because it has nearly every song.
For a FREE printable list of favorite kids’ songs, sign up below and we’ll send it right to you! It’s a great resource to have on hand for moments all through the day when a song would be helpful. We even include a digital version with YouTube links!
Counting Songs for Preschool
Over in the Meadow – Raffi
This fun counting song, complete with animal noises, will tie in beautifully to your classroom animal theme and is also fun anytime! Raffi incorporates number sense as the kids have to keep track of how many animal noises they make for each particular animal. Hold up fingers for each number of animals.
Herman the Worm – The Learning Station
Herman the Worm might be the most fun of the math songs for preschool! It has a repeated pattern as Herman keeps eating one additional piece of fruit and then GROWS BIG! It’s perfect for practicing counting from 1-5. You will get some giggles at the ending!
Hickory Dickory Dock – Jbrary
This one is an old classic that teaches counting. This version goes up to the number four, but you can take the counting as high as you like! Each time the clock strikes, the children will clap that number of times, which adds a wonderful kinesthetic component.
Bubbles Song – The Kiboomers
We love the fact that this number song practices counting all the way from 1-20! It has a fun, familiar melody and of course, you might want to take the opportunity to blow some bubbles for extra engagement and cross-curricular learning.
This Old Man – The Learning Station
Here is another one with fun movement and a strong language component. It practices counting from 1-10 and has a catchy silly repetitive phrase. It’s one of the most classic counting songs for kids!
I Like Counting Fruits – Patty Shukla
Who doesn’t love some delicious fresh fruit? This darling reggae song teaches colors and counting from 1-10, using a variety of tasty fruits. You could certainly have a fruit tasting station to go along with this yumtastic song!
Counting Song | Learn to Count – Bounce Patrol
Kids can’t help but sing along when there’s a fun, uptempo song on! Here’s a fast, high-energy counting song that will get your kiddos excited about counting from 1-10. It teaches them one-to-one correspondence, as well!
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe – The Learning Station
I love how they’ve taken the classic rhyme and set it to a chill, bluesy tune. Your kiddos will love the added challenge of the song getting faster each time they go through it! There are many more math songs for preschool, like this one, on our full list of teacher-approved songs.
Counting Backwards Songs
Songs that count backward are so fun that preschoolers don’t even realize that they are learning while they sing! As children are learning to count backward, this is laying the foundation for subtraction.
Rocket Ship Run – Laurie Berkner
5,4,3,2,1 Blastoff! This song teaches counting backward from 5 to 1, with a quick 10 to 1 at the end as a bonus. Your kiddos will get to blast off to learning with this upbeat song. For more ideas for a preschool space theme, see our list of favorite space songs!
Countdown to Blastoff – Jack Hartmann
Jack Hartmann incorporates so much learning into one awesome backward counting song! Your students will certainly have a “BLAST” with this one. It teaches both counting from 1-10 and counting backward from 10-1.
5 Green and Speckled Frogs – Jbrary
This is a favorite numbers song for preschool. It has a repetitive pattern that teaches counting backward from 5 to zero (or “no green speckled frogs”). Finger puppets are perfect for this one as you use it in your circle time!
Count Down Song from 10 to 1 – Tiny Tunes
This count-down song has a super mellow feel to it, while it teaches counting down from 10 to 1. It is great for times when you need the class to wind down and have some quiet time. You also could use some counting blocks and take away one at a time with the song, to model subtracting by one.
Ten on the Bed – The Learning Station
This is one of the most popular counting songs for kids! It teaches “one less” each time as it counts backward from 10 to 1. And, don’t fret, the video shows a nice, soft mattress for each child to land on as they “fall out”.
Counting Movement Songs for Preschool
It’s no secret that young kids LOVE to MOVE! Not only do they love it, but they NEED it! Movement is an important part of development. Music and movement help build cognitive skills, assist in social-emotional development, and promote physical fitness.
Kids tend to learn kinesthetically or by “doing”. Music and movement help increase memory and retention of concepts learned. Let’s bring on the music, movement, counting, learning, and fun! For more movement songs, see our movement and action songs or our dance songs.
Count to 20 and Workout – Jack Hartmann
In this catchy song, Jack Hartmann teaches counting from 1 to 20 and promotes the importance of working out your brain AND body. A workout and counting practice all in one! Perfect for rainy days, or any day of the week!
Funky Counting Song – The Singing Walrus
This funky counting song teaches the numbers from 1-10 with a fun beat. It also throws in some fun motions for the kids to get up and moving – just follow the chick! The catchy beat will surely make it a highly requested song in your classroom!
Numbers Freeze Dance Song for Kids – The Kiboomers
This song teaches one-to-one correspondence by having the kids wiggle their fingers to match the corresponding number. It teaches counting from 1 to 5 and following directions, as they have to FREEZE on command.
Count and Move – Super Simple Songs
Encourage your kiddos to follow the “mood” of this song as they march, dance, tiptoe, etc. around the room. They can dance their way from 1-20!
Count to 10 | Stretching Song for Children – Patty Shukla
What’s better than stretching and exercise? Stretching and exercise where your kids get to practice counting from 1-10! This video is full of simple stretches and lots of counting fun.
We hope you’ve loved our compilation of counting songs! You’ll be amazed at how much your kids will learn when you incorporate them into your classroom and home.
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