Touch different body parts as you count by tens. For example, touch your head as you count 1-9. Touch your shoulders as you count 10-19. Then touch your knees as you count 20-29, and so forth.

Have children form a “conga” line as you count to 100. Extend right and left feet as you count 1-9, and then stomp the ground each time you make a ten.

Hint! This works well with the “Zero the Hero” song.

Practice saying nursery rhymes the criss-cross way. Any nursery rhyme can be said to these movements:

Jack          (extend right arm)
And Jill      (extend left arm)
Went up    (right hand on left shoulder)
A hill          (left hand on right shoulder)
To fetch     (right hand on right hip)
A pail         (left hand on left him)
Of Wa-      (right hand on left knee)
Ter            (left hand on right knee) (Clap Hands!)
Jack          (extend right arm)
Fell down  (extend left arm)
And broke (right hand on left shoulder)
His crown  (left hand on right shoulder)
And Jill      (right hand on right hip)
Came        (left hand on left hip)
Tumbling   (right hand on left knee)
After          (left hand on right knee)
YEAH!       (Thumbs up!)

The ability to rhyme is closely associated with the ability to read. One teacher told me that by adding hand movements when they rhymed, her children seemed to be much more successful. For example, they would say “red” and stick out their right hand, and then say “bed” or another rhyming word and stick out their left hand. It’s worth a try to do this with children in your class who are struggling with rhyming.