5 ideas to teach numbers 1 - 10 in the young learner classroom

1. 5 ideas for teaching numbers 1 – 10 using
apps and mobile devices
Kim Ashmore, Director and Co-Founder, LearnAhead Ltd
© Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

2. 5 ideas for teaching numbers 1 – 10 using
apps and mobile devices
In this presentation you will find five ideas for
teaching numbers 1 – 10 using apps and mobile
devices. The ideas are aimed at the efl/esl young
learner classroom – in this case mostly the very young
learner classroom – but the ideas could be adapted
for other contexts.
1. Number flashcards
2. Learning to count from 1 - 10
3. Number songs
4. Learn to spell numbers 1- 10
5. Simple maths apps
2 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

3. 1. Number flashcards
Flashcards can be a useful way to teach
numbers, and some apps let you – or your
learners – make your own. An example of this
App: Kids Learning – My First
is Kids Learning – My First Numbers Counting Numbers Counting Game
Game. The free app (and free of adverts too) Platform: iOS
has simple flashcards of Cost: Free
apples, balls, bears, fingers and
numbers, which you can customise (font
size, colour, capitalisation). The best thing
about the app is that children (or teachers) can
make their own flashcards using photos and
their own voice recordings – it would be great
to get young learners to make their own set of
number flashcards. These personalised cards
could then be used for different activities, with
or without audio or text. You choose!
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4. 2. Learn to count from 1 - 10
As well as flashcards, there are several game-based apps that
can help young children learn the numbers 1-10 in English. Here
are three examples, all paid-for and aimed at pre-schoolers.
They could work well with slightly older children who are
learning numbers as a foreign or additional language. All of
these apps could be used with an IWB and the whole class – the
teacher getting the children to shout out the numbers in English
as they play the games.
App: 1 – 10 Balloons In this simple game learners pop the balloons
Platform: iOS (iPad only) in order from one to ten. It helps children
Cost: £0.69/$0.99 order numbers, and as each balloon is a
different colour, it could be used to practise
colours too (“What balloon shall I pop next?
What colour is it?”)
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5. 1. Learn to count from 1 - 10
This is another simple app based on
the game ‘Snap’. In this
game, children have to decide if the
two cards they see match – for
example, the number 4 and four
butterflies. If they do, they hit the
‘Snap’ button. There is also a scoring
functionality which some children will
find motivating.
App: Number Snap! /Kids Number Snap
Platform: iOS /Android
Cost: £0.69/$0.99/£0.72
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6. 1. Learn to count from 1 - 10
This app is based around a colourful
underwater scene – children say how
many fish they can see in the sea, and can
add or remove fish to the scene, a neat
introduction to simple addition and
subtraction. What’s more, children can
practise numbers 1- 10 in the following
languages:
English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch,
Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Portuguese
and Italian.
App: Learn to count with Wombi
Platform: iOS /Android
Cost: £1.99/$2.99/£1.39
6 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

7. 3. Number songs
There are many children’s songs and rhymes that help children learn to
count, and there are some available on apps that would be suitable for very
young learners. The animation helps children to understand the context of
the song (even if they don’t understand every word), and children can learn
the song, to sing at any time. Five Little Speckled Frogs has extra features
which make it particularly useful in the young learner classroom: the
bugmaker, and a recording facility so that your own voice can be added to
the song. Use the bugmaker with the whole class – get them to suggest
objects, colours and body parts using as much English as they can. Note
that this is not the most intuitive app to use so it would be a good idea to
practise yourself first.
App: Five Little Speckled Frogs
Platform: iOS
Cost: £0.69/$0.99
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8. 3. Number songs
Here are two suggestions for two more number songs:
App: Five Little Monkeys App: Five Sharks Swimming
Platform: iOS/Android Platform: iOS
Cost: £0.69/$0.99/£0.62 Cost: £1.99
8 © Copyright 2011, LearnAhead

9. 4. Learn to spell numbers 1 - 10
App: Word Carrot
Platform: iOS
Cost: Free
Word Carrot helps young learners of any age practise the numbers 1-10, in
particular how to spell them. Learners see the number, hear the word, and
then touch the right letters to spell it. Basic words are free, and there is no
advertising. Teachers could use the app with an ipad connected to an
IWB, or recommend it to parents for outside-school practice. Here is a
worksheet that you can download to use in or outside the classroom to
practise numbers.
Numbers 1-10 Worksheet
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10. 5. Simple maths apps
Another way to practise numbers is through maths. There are many maths
apps on the market, most of them using higher numbers than 1 to 10. Here
are two which feature lower numbers, and introduce learners to basic
maths and number concepts.
App: Park Math
Platform: iOS
Cost: £1.49/$1.99
Children join animals in the
park and can try seven
activities to practise counting
and also concepts such as
addition, subtraction, patterns
and so on.
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11. 5. Simple maths apps
App: Love to Count by Pirate Trio
Platform: iOS
Cost: £2.49/$3.99
This app is a little more expensive but has a lot of activities, and introduces
concepts such as the relationship between numbers and ordinals, and
simple fractions. There are lots of different activities – all within the context
of the pirate ship – and children are rewarded as they complete activities.
Do you have any more ideas? Share them at:
http://wordcarrot.com/5-ideas-for-teaching-numbers-1-10-using-apps-and-
mobile-devices/
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