The candle was lit, the verse was on the chalkboard, and a small basket of pumpkins sat in the middle of the big table when my boys climbed onto their stools. Nobody had to be coaxed. A basket in the middle of a table does most of the inviting for me.
This is how we use Halloween counting in our classroom. It is not a unit or a program. It is one basket, a few paper ghosts, and about ten minutes, and both boys get what they need from it even though one is 3 and one is 5.
What goes in the basket
Every family settles Halloween its own way, and you will know what is right for yours. In ours, October counting means pumpkins, ghosts and leaves, the things that are simply on the shelf and out the window this time of year. Here is what I put in the basket:
- Ten small pumpkins, real or paper, whatever you have
- A handful of cotton balls
- A die and a small bowl
- A sheet of paper with a big circle drawn on it, our "pumpkin patch"
That is all. I set the basket in the cubby the night before so it is waiting at child height. If you are working at the kitchen table, clear one end after supper and set the basket there. We spent two years at ours, and a basket on a cleared table works just as well as one in a classroom.
The three-year-old: touch it, say it, move it
My 3-year-old is not counting to twenty. He is learning that one number goes with one thing. So his job is to move pumpkins from the basket into the patch, one at a time, saying a number with each touch.
I keep my words small: "Show me three pumpkins." Then I wait. If he grabs a fistful, I do not correct him. I say, "Let's count them together," and we touch each one. When he gets it right I tell him what he did: "You touched each pumpkin once. That is counting."
Stay at one to five for now. When he is bored, he is ready for six. If he is not bored, he is learning something and I leave him alone.
The five-year-old: roll, count, add
My 5-year-old rolls the die and counts out that many pumpkins into the patch. Then he rolls again and adds more. I ask one question: "How many pumpkins are in the patch now?" He counts all of them again at first, and that is fine. Counting on from the first number comes later, and I do not push it.
When he is comfortable, I give him a slip of paper and let him write the number. His fours still face the wrong way. We write it anyway and the chalkboard gets the tidy version.
A script you can borrow
Here is what I say to both boys, in this order: "Roll it. Count it. Tell me what you see." That last line matters more than I expected. A 3-year-old says, "Pumpkins!" and a 5-year-old says, "Four and two more is six." Same basket, two answers, and both are right.
Day two: cotton ball ghosts
On the second day the same basket gets a new job. We make ghosts with the Cotton Ball Ghost Craft Activity, and the counting is built right into the gluing. The 3-year-old glues on cotton balls while I count out loud with him. The 5-year-old decides ahead of time how many cotton balls his ghost will have, writes the number, and then checks himself.
Nothing is scary about a cotton ball ghost. It is a small white cloud with two eyes, and my boys giggle at it. Whatever you decide about Halloween in your house, a craft table with glue and counting is a good morning.
Day three: sorting and stamping
By the third day the counting is familiar, so we add a little more shape to it. The Pumpkin Size Sort cut and paste activity gives the 3-year-old a chance to say big and small while the 5-year-old puts all five pumpkins in order. If you want a quieter, messier day, the Fall Leaf Stamping Printable Activity Pack works well. We stamp five leaves, count them, and then stamp three more.
If you are curious about what else is in the worksheet shop, every worksheet is $4.00, or $2.00 when you are a member. Joining is free, and it comes with 29 free printables, so you can start without spending anything.
Why a basket and not a page
I used to think counting needed a worksheet. Now I think it needs hands first. A small child has to hold the thing before the number means anything, and paper can come after. When I set up our room, I wanted baskets at the boys' level for exactly this reason, and I wrote more about that in designing your homeschool classroom.
There is also something quietly lovely about counting at this time of year. The pumpkins are heavy and orange, the leaves are everywhere, and the light comes in low through the window. I do not need a big lesson plan. I need ten pumpkins and two boys who like to be near me.
Tomorrow morning
Put ten pumpkins, paper or real, in a basket tonight. Tomorrow, set it in the middle of the table, sit down, and say, "Roll it. Count it. Tell me what you see." Then listen. You might hear a 3-year-old say "seven" for the first time, which is a very good way to begin the day.
When I hear my boys count, I think of Psalm 147:4: "He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names." The God who counted the stars is the one who put numbers in my sons' minds, and I get to watch them find them, one pumpkin at a time.
