A poem you can count on to teach your child how to count in order.

by Babs Hadjusiewicz May 07, 2009

Hey, hey! What a day! Let's get on with rhymes today! See how easy it is to make up a little rhyme to grab your child's attention! Okay, so I dream in rhyme...but, really, it's easy when you stay tuned here and let me help you one day at a time. We'll soon have you THINKing and TALKing in rhyme with your young child! Here we go... Yesterday, we had some fun with the "Jack and Jill" poem and my own "Alas!" poem. Today is THINKing Thursday, so let's THINK and TALK about some more ways to play with "Jack"...take a look at this book, Jacks and More Jacks (HarperCollins/Scott Foresman/Good Year Books/PearsonLearning, 1993):

I'll bet you've seen (or even checked out) from your school or public library this book I wrote some years back. If not, you'll want to put that plan on your to-do list for this week. It's also available on my website. In the interim, let's explore this little hardcover book that not only plays with the Jacks game; it also teaches (or tests memory!) about characters named Jack in six familiar nursery rhymes or fairy tales. PLUS, this simple rhymed story helps your young child count to 6 and do that counting with one-to-one correlation. (Teaching tip: one-to-one correlation means counting objects in a group by pointing to each new object at the same time we say its number. You've likely noticed that when kids first begin to count, they just point helter-skelter as they count, so they need help in learning to count with one-to-one correlation.) Okay, so Jacks and More Jacks reads:

Jacks and More Jacks One jack, Two jacks, Three jacks, Four, Five jacks, Six jacks, And I know more— One Jack meets a giant in the sky. Another Jack pulls a plum out of a pie. Another Jack sits in a box, so still. Another Jack runs up a hill with Jill. Another Jack jumps; he is nimble and quick. Another Jack cleans his platter with a lick. One Jack, Two Jacks, Three Jacks, Four, Five Jacks, Six Jacks— Do you know more? Text Copyright © 1993 Babs Bell Hajdusiewicz

Now, go back and read it again and this time, read it in a bouncing-ball rhythm, as if you're playing the Jacks game. Fun, huh!

So have fun today THINKing and TALKing about all those nursery rhymes, pointing to each object in a group of six as you count to six, and then THINK of other meanings for the word jack. Bet your child knows a person or two named Jack. How about the jack-o-lantern, Jack Frost who nips your toes and bites your nose in wintertime, or as a kindergarten boy offered "jacket"...and.... Well, I could name lots more but will let you and your child do the THINKing today on THINKing Thursday. Have fun! And tune in tomorrow for more fun with language and knowledge that build literacy for every child!

Babs Hadjusiewicz

Author

Hey, thanks for stopping by. Check out our digital downloads right here in my store at www.babsyb.com. You'll also find many of my publications in my Bee with Babsy B store on Teachers Pay Teachers' site. Come back often!