KS1 Maths: Counting to three

Video summary

Rodd is ill and reading his special book of number three stories about the Three Bears, the Three Billy Goats Gruff and the Three Little Pigs.

He finds the number three on his shelf and invites the children to join in 'Three Bear' movements based on the number three.

Using three teddy bears, bowls and spoons, children can help Rodd work out whether he has enough spoons.

The children can recall the concepts introduced in the Number 3 song, and draw the number in the air.

This is from the series: Counting with Rodd Counting with Rodd 1.

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Teacher Notes

Children could have fun learning about the number 3. In a role-play of the three stories, other sets of three items could be introduced for the children to match and count to see if there are ‘enough’, eg cups for the bears, apples for the little pigs and ‘clumps of grass’ (green plastic straws tied with string) for the billy goats.

Play a triangle three times and ask children to move their bodies, eg stamp their foot, to each beat.

Children could make Little Pig masks and go outside and draw the numeral three in mud, three times.

They could decorate each numeral with three pebbles.

This clip is relevant for teaching Maths at KS1 in England, Foundation Phase in Wales and Early and 1st Level in Scotland. Also Foundation and KS1 in Northern Ireland.

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Rodd thinks about how the number one applies to the picture he is painting of animals and scenery.

The number one

Rodd thinks about how the number two applies to the bike he is cleaning.

The number 2

Rodd thinks about how the number four applies to the things around him.

The number 4

Rodd gets a package of novelty gloves, and uses them to count on his fingers all the number fives around him, encouraging children to count with him and sing a song about the number five.

The number 5

Rodd's ladybird cake has six legs, his egg-box has six eggs and his giant die has six sides. He dresses up as a chicken and asks the children to join him in pretending to lay six eggs.

The number 6

Rodd counts his Auntie's seven pairs of bloomers, the days of the week, the colours of the rainbow and the Seven Dwarves. He asks the children to join him in singing a song about the number seven.

The number 7

Rodd discovers that umbrellas have eight spokes, spiders have eight legs and octopuses have eight arms. He invites children to count the spiders' wellies and sing the number eight song with him.

The number 8

Rodd is dressed as a firefighter for his fancy-dress party, which will have nine guests. He thinks about 999, does firefighter exercises, and counts that he has enough of everything for the party.

The number 9

Rodd is thinking about the number ten, doing ‘ten’ exercises and playing mini ‘ten-pin bowling’.

The number 10
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