Ten Eggs in a Nest Counting Fun for Preschoolers
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Preschoolers love activities based on the fun books they read. Counting activities for preschoolers help them understand the concept of one-to-one correspondence.
This hands-on activity, based on Ten Eggs in a Nest, will have preschoolers practicing counting and adding one more.
Ten Eggs in a Nest, by Marilyn Sadler, follows Gwen and Red Rooster through the hatching of their new brood. Gwen has laid her eggs, but she won’t tell Red Rooster how many there are. She says it’s bad luck to count your eggs before they hatch.
Red Rooster is so excited, and he can hardly contain himself. As soon as one egg hatches, he runs to the store to buy a worm. However, upon his return, he discovers not one but two chicks. So, back to the store he goes. Only to find three baby chicks upon his return this time. And so it continues until all ten chicks have hatched.
When you introduce the book for the first time, just read it straight through. Let your kids listen to the entire story. On further readings, let them count and add along with Red Rooster and the Ten Eggs in a Nest printable I created to go along with this book.
Download and print the nest counting mat for some preschool counting fun!
Gather your counters. You can use pom poms, buttons, plastic eggs, or jelly beans. Whatever you have on hand will work.
As you read the book, have kids add an egg to their nest as each new chick hatches. You can do this one of two ways.
Young preschoolers, just learning to count to ten, can clear their nests after each page. As each new egg hatches, have them count out loud as they add eggs to their nest. This reinforces counting to ten.
Older preschoolers, ready to learn new concepts, can add a new ‘egg’ to their nest as each egg is hatched. As they do so, reinforce the concept of adding on.
“We have two eggs in the nest. How many do we have when we add one more?”
What are some of your favorite counting activities for preschoolers?
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Tara is wife to Matt and homeschool momma of three. Her children are 21, 16, and 11 – two boys and one girl. She is currently homeschooling her daughter – 6th grade. When she’s not blogging, Tara enjoys crocheting and snuggling up with a good book. She and her family recently moved from Texas to Ohio, and they’re having fun exploring their new surroundings. She blogs about homeschooling, motherhood, and family life on both of her blogs – Homeschool Preschool and Teaching with Children's Books.
What a cute idea! I don’t remember ever actually teaching my kids to count to ten. It was always something they just picked up, either through the older kids or through life. I absolutely love this idea for adding up to ten. It sounds like so much fun, and the story sounds hilarious.
So cute! As a mom of a homeschooled high schooler, I just want to comment how I sure treasure those precious days when my child was little. Time goes by too fast!