Last Updated on 30 March 2025

Some cultures have song or rhymes for teaching children to count. They can have different variations, so I’ve tried to find the most common. Here are some:

English

One, Two, Buckle my shoe
Three, Four, Shut the door
Five, Six, Pick up sticks
Seven, Eight, Lay them straight
Nine, Ten, A big, fat hen

French

Un, deux, trois, nous irons au bois
Quatre, cinq, six, cueillir des cerises
Sept, huit, neuf, dans mon panier neuf
Dix, onze, douze, elles seront toutes rouges

German

Eins, zwei, Polizei
Drei, vier, Offizier
Fünf, sechs, links, rechts
Sieben, acht, gute Nacht
Neun, zehn, auf Wiedersehen

Irish

A haon, a dó, muc is bó,
A trí, a ceathair, bróga leathair,
A cúig, a sé, cupán tae,
A seacht, a hocht, seanbhean bhocht,
A naoi, a deich, císte te

Italian

Uno, due, tre, La Peppina fa il caffè

Spanish

Uno, dos, y tres,
Cuatro, cinco, seis.
Siete, ocho, nueve,
Cuento hasta diez.