Dancing Panda Pilot - Activity 1 - “Clap, Clap, Pat, Pat” (August 2020)

Hello Panda Pal! Today we’ll be doing a Math activity called “Clap, Clap, Pat, Pat.”

Let’s use our hands to do some counting by 1s and 2s. First, let’s count by 1s from 1 to 10, and use your hands to clap for every number. Say, “1-clap, 2-clap, 3-clap, 4-clap, 5-clap, 6-clap, 7-clap, 8-clap, 9-clap, 10-clap.”

Now count to 20, by 2s, and after every new number, pat your hands on your lap.

Say, “2-pat, 4-pat, 6-pat, 8-pat, 10-pat, 12-pat, 14-pat, 16-pat, 18-pat, 20-pat.”

Let’s make it more fun! How many times do you clap or pat if you want to get to 3? There’s more than one way to do it! How about clapping or patting to 6, 7, or a number of your choice.

Need some help doing this activity?

Tips:

A clap is used when you are counting by 1. Two hands are coming together as one.
A pat is used when you are counting by 2. The two hands are side by side, patting your lap. The use of both hands is a visual clue that you are to counting by two.

Here’s how to do the claps and pats to 3, 6, and 7:

To get to 3, here are the different ways you can clap and pat:
- Clap 3x (1-clap, 2-clap, 3-clap)
- Pat 1x, Clap 1x (2-pat, 3-clap)
- Clap 1x, Pat 1x (1-clap, 3-pat)
To get to 6:
- Clap 6x (1-clap, 2-clap, 3-clap, 4-clap, 5-clap, 6-clap)
- Pat 3x (2-pat, 4-pat, 6-pat)
To get to 7:
- Clap 7x (-clap, 2-clap, 3-clap, 4-clap, 5-clap, 6-clap, 7-clap)
- Pat 3x, Clap 1x (2-pat, 4-pat, 6-pat, 7-clap)
- Clap 5x, Pat 1x (1-clap, 2-clap, 3-clap, 4-clap, 5-clap, 7-pat)
- Clap 3x, Pat 2x (1-clap, 2-clap, 3-clap, 5-pat, 7-pat)

Here’s a video of the activity:

Youtube: Maddie and Deb doing Clap, Clap, Pat, Pat

Want more fun?

Here are some more activities:

If you’ve got more room, try hopping or jumping on one foot instead of clapping your hands. And instead of patting hands on your lap, stomp your feet or do a leapfrog jump every time.
If you don’t have a lot of space, try tapping two fingers on a table instead of patting.

Was the activity too hard?

Clap or pat only to even numbers like 2, 4, 6, or 8. Then, try talking through how to get the next number up.

Was the activity too easy?

Try counting by 3s, 4s, or 5s. Create gestures to go with each different type of number. Try different combinations to add to up to different numbers.

Learning Connections

In “Clap, Clap, Pat, Pat”, children are learning how to count by 2s, or a skill called “skip counting.” In math, skip counting means counting forward by numbers other than 1. Skip counting is an important basic math skill, which helps with identifying and understanding patterns. It also provides a strong foundation for more advanced math skills like doing multiplication.

In addition, skip counting also creates a strong foundation for a concept called number sense. Number sense is a person’s ability to take something abstract like numbers, make connections and apply them to the real world. For example, helping children learn how to count actual objects in their real life and doing the same exercise in their head.