Sep 14

Sep 14 "5 Little Pumpkins" Counting Activity for Toddlers

5 Little Pumpkins Counting Activity with Pete the Cat 2 - Oh Hey Let's Play www.ohheyletsplay.com.jpg

Have you heard the “5 Little Pumpkins” poem? It is an all-time favorite this time of year and so fun for toddlers and preschoolers! This poem is everywhere- in books, finger play printables, YouTube videos, you name it- so if you haven’t heard it… you’ll want to look it up. We have a Pete the Cat book that illustrates a super fun version of it- so much so, that it inspired us to make it come to life.

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5 Little Pumpkins Counting Activity with Pete the Cat 4 - Oh Hey Let's Play www.ohheyletsplay.com.jpg

The poem is about 5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate on Halloween night. Each pumpkin exclaims something before running (or rolling) off and disappearing into the night. To imitate the pumpkins on a gate, we busted out some beloved TP rolls (don’t throw those things away guys)! I wrote a number 1-5 using black sharpie on each TP roll, and then used some mini decorative pumpkins (from Target, but these are similar) to practice balancing on top.

5 Little Pumpkins Counting Activity with Pete the Cat - Oh Hey Let's Play www.ohheyletsplay.com.jpg

5 Little Pumpkins Counting Activity with Pete the Cat 3 - Oh Hey Let's Play www.ohheyletsplay.com.jpg

As I read the story aloud, Kade balanced a pumpkin on each TP roll. We, then, practiced counting up to 5 as he placed a pumpkin on each roll, and also practiced taking pumpkins away and counting backwards. We worked on number identification, number order, and of course some fine motor skills with the balancing. It was so fun to be able to make the poem come to life, made for an exciting, interactive read aloud, and was also a great way to practice early number sense!