One-to-one Counting - Activity Instructions

Tune In

Invite children to sit quietly together in a circle. Read aloud an Acknowledgement of Country. To find out what Country you are on, visit the AIATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia. Explain to the children that, ‘We do this to say thank you to Country. It is important to look after Country because Country looks after us.’

Tell the children that today they will hear a song in an Aboriginal language. Choose one of the songs below to play to the group.

Burrulaa Balabalaa (Many butterflies) – (youtube.com/watch?v=cKyYRWnwTl0) – Gamilaraay & Yuwaalaraay languages (more information)
Yarrabil: First Nations Songs: S2 Episode 5 Counting Song in palawa kani : ABC iview – (iview.abc.net.au/video/ED2503H005S00) – Palawa kani is in the language of the Tasmania/Lutruwita peoples (more information)
Indigenous language counting song for children(youtube.com/watch?v=TEodB55VNE0) – Pitjantjatjara language of the Aṉangu people (more information).
Kaurna for Kids - Numbers – (youtube.com/watch?v=xtejyc6bU44) – Kaurna Warra is the language of the Kaurna People (more information).
Yarrabil: First Nations Songs: S2 Episode 4 Mara Kulunypa Kutju (iview.abc.net.au/video/ED2503H004S00) – Pitjantjatjara language of the Aṉangu people (more information).

Explain to the children that there are lots of different words for numbers in lots of different languages! These songs help children learn numbers, language and stories about Country.

Play the song again and see if the children can follow along with the actions.

Learning extension: You could use a globe, maps or Google Maps to explore the locations of these different Countries.

Find Out

Practise counting using your fingers and modelling one-to-one correspondence. Have the children repeat after you and copy the number of fingers you are holding up. When they are finger counting, make sure they slow down and say one number for each finger! This helps the children connect the numerical words to the representation.

You might like to use the counting words from the song you chose to listen to. You may not get the words exactly right, but we can model listening, repeating and being open to learning.

It’s time to practise our counting words. Take a walk outside with the children and see what you can find to count. You might find:

a flower with five petals
2 cockatoos on the grass
1 cloud drifting across the sky
a line of 7 pebbles in the playground.

Reinforce one-to-one correspondence when counting the different things that you find.

Share with the children that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages have been spoken on Country for tens of thousands of years. By learning this language and speaking these words, we acknowledge this connection to Country and the people who lived here before us.

Take Action

Set up a station with glue and counting materials. These could include:

PET bottle caps
buttons
leaves
gumnuts
confetti
stickers
feathers
other recycled or natural materials.

Give each child a copy of the Counting Hands worksheet. Encourage children to colour in the hands, then practise one-to-one correspondence as they count through the fingers and glue down one item per finger.

Alternatively, you could have them take their hands outside and find natural materials to place one on each finger. Rather than gluing these materials down, you could take a photograph and then return the materials to Country.

One-to-one Counting

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