10 Little Soldiers Counting Song is so familiar and easy to pick up because it borrows it’s tune from the well known ’10 Little Indians’ song . It’s excellent for number and counting practice and works very well alongside The Grand Old Duke Of York and our other marching activities for a soldier theme.
10 Little Soldiers Counting Song
One little, two little, three little soldiers,
Four little, five little, six little soldiers,
Seven little, eight little, nine little soldiers,
Ten little soldiers boys!
Using the free printable above, mount your soldiers on some card and cut them out.
How To Use The Puppets
- If you are doing this at home you could easily lay the soldiers out on the floor or table as you sing and count.
- But when singing this song in a group, it works well if you take a large hard back book or folder. Then stretch a thick elastic band across the back cover.
- Stand the book up, holding it with the spine facing up towards you and use the elastic band to slot the soldiers behind one by one. This way they can all stand up on their own.
- Alternatively attach some velcro stickers to the soldier’s backs and then use them on a felt board.
One way to really engage the children and add a little comedy to this song, is to explain that there is one soldier who is a bit lazy and he can’t be bothered to stand up straight to attention like the rest. Ask everyone to watch carefully to see if they can spot him. As you sing the song and count the soldiers, make sure they are all standing up nice and straight but when you get to the last one, place him upside down.
This is a great way to get everyone involved and normally causes great hilarity as everyone loves pointing out the naughty soldier. After giving the soldier a strict talking to, you sing the song again. But this time he behaves himself, much to everyones approval and satisfaction!
Check out our Soldiers lesson plan for lots of lively Soldier themed activities combined in a 30 min structured lesson. Step by step teaching notes and supporting resources included.
If you enjoyed this post, come and join us on Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter for many more musical ideas!
Get musical inspiration into your inbox!
Receive updates from Let's Play Music straight into your inbox!
Thank you so much! I am teaching Virtual preschool music for my school and these puppets will be so helpful. How do I print the free printables!
Hi, I’m so glad to hear the puppets are coming in handy! To print off the soldiers you just click on the image and the printable should pop up ready tp print. The links for all of the free printables can be found on the free resources page.