Counting 1 - 20 with Mo Farah and Usain Bolt

In the creative writing group, we were given images of various Olympic sporting moments.

I had Mo Farah and Usain Bolt in their iconic poses.

Strike a pose!

Make a stand

Show who you are

Any way you can.

I started with a poem and then remembered how, together with a reception class I was teaching, we had used both of these poses in a counting sequence.

As a visiting supply cover teacher, in a class or school you don't know, you need to connect and get their attention in any way you can. A different way is good.

So, when visiting a reception class and teaching maths we were tasked with counting 1 – 20 forward and back.

I needed to get the class to sit and listen.

We decided to come up with a counting game.

The children helped to create the moves suggesting ideas.

With clicks and claps, we added the sequence 1 – 5 and tried it forward and back.

Then we confidently headed up to ten, where we added the Mo Farah pose for ten.

We tried the sequence forward and back until again we were confident to move on once more.

It was amazing how involved the class became so we went further and continued to fourteen where we added a Usain Bolt pose (Left and Right), for numbers eleven and twelve.

Finally, we headed off to number twenty! Phew!

Twenty is a good number for reception.

The class loved the number clap we had created and it has certainly been well used in the many schools I have visited on supply cover teaching.

I call it the 'Balcombe Clap', the school that helped create it.

I have even used it to count forward and back in both French and Spanish lessons too.

Who knew how much such an innocent sequence of hand gestures could teach so much?

But maybe that's 'Makaton' for you?

'Thank you, Dave Benson-Phillips' and 'Playdays' (aka 'Playbus' – I prefer that name).

And thank you Mo Farah for the Number ten pose

And Usain Bolt for the pose for numbers eleven and twelve.

Strike a pose indeed.

P.S. My writing group joined enthusiastically when I showed them how to do it.

"You need to film it," they said.

So, I did.

Check it out on YouTube

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