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Using Tag Bags, children engage in fun, hands-on activities that teach critical early math skills.
Tag Bags are versatile and easy to use—ideal for both student-directed and teacher-directed activities.
Take a closer look at the bags to see why children eagerly open, close, count, sort, measure, and build with them!

30 Tag Bags, 30 Matching Tags

• Colors Red, yellow, blue, orange, green, purple
• Fasteners Velcro, snap, button, buckle, and zipper
• Dots on the left 1–10
• Numbers on the right 1–10
• Pockets Color Tags, Name Tags, etc., or small objects for counting can fit inside each pocket!

Get started using the activities in this booklet. Familiar tunes make them appealing. Sing along and use the words
in the song to guide your teaching. Create your own activities and let your children teach you theirs.

We’re Learning
This section at the bottom of each activity provides detail about the skills addressed.

© 2020 Learning Without Tears

 Bags 1–5 are the primary colors red, yellow, and blue.
Bags 6–10 are the secondary colors orange, green, and purple.
© 2020 Learning Without Tears

Color Tags add to the learning opportunities. The laminated tags match Tag Bag colors and fit
right inside the pockets. Use them for additional counting, matching, and pattern activities.
1
 Get Star ted: I’m Looking for Red Bags
Place all Tag Bags in a mixed pile. Tune: “On Top of Old Smokey”
Help children arrange bags in a rainbow shape.
I’m looking for red bags.
Now where can they be?
If you find a red bag,
Please bring it to me.

[Repeat verse with each color]

I’m looking for orange bags . . .
I’m looking for yellow bags . . .
I’m looking for green bags . . .
I’m looking for blue bags . . .
I’m looking for purple bags . . .

I’m looking at colors.

Now what do I see?
Six rainbow colors,
Please say them with me.
[spoken] Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple

© 2020 Learning Without Tears

We’re Learning Patterns/Algebra Sort and classify by attributes (color)

2
 Get Star ted: Let’s Count Blue Bags
Place all Tag Bags in a mixed pile. Tune: “Frère Jacques”
Help children place the bags in a row from left to right.
Where are blue bags? Where are blue bags?
Look and see. Look and see.
If you find a blue bag, if you find a blue bag,
Come to me, come to me.

Let’s count blue bags! Let’s count blue bags!

In the row, in the row
We can count the blue bags. We can count the blue bags.
Here we go. Here we go.
[spoken] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 blue bags.

We see 5 bags. We see 5 bags.

In the row, in the row
The last number we say, the last number we say,
Tells us so, tells us so.

[Repeat with one or more colors as desired.]

 2 3 4 5
© 2020 Learning Without Tears

We’re Learning
Number Count to 5
Number Recognize that the last number counted tells how many (cardinality)
Patterns/Algebra
Sort and classify by attributes (color)
Vocabulary row, last 3
 Get Star ted: Point and Count
Help children make a row with yellow bags from left to right. Tune: “B-I-N-G-O”
Extend with purple bags after first verse.
We make and count a yellow row.
Let’s point and count each bag now.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
We have five yellow bags now.
 2 3 4 5
We make and count a longer row,
By adding purple bags on.
First we had five bags.
We count on five more.
6, 7, 8, 9, 10
 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 It’s ten bags all together.

[spoken] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

[Use different color combinations between primary and

secondary colors to extend this activity.]

© 2020 Learning Without Tears

We’re Learning
Number Recognize that the last number counted tells how many (cardinality)
Number Count to 10
Number Count on from 5
4 Vocabulary longer, row, all together
 Get Star ted: Count and Compare Dots
Find a bag with number 3 and keep it. Pass out one Tune: “Jingle Bells”
Tag Bag to each child.
Open bags. Open bags.
My Bag Your Bags Point and count with me.
(Teacher's Bags) (Children's Bags) My bag has 1-2-3 dots.
How many do you see?

Open bags. Open bags.

Point and count with me.
My bag has 1-2-3 dots.
Who has the same as me?
same Open bags. Open bags.
Point and count with me.
My bag has 1-2-3 dots.
Who has more dots than me?
more
Open bags. Open bags.
Point and count with me.
My bag has 1-2-3 dots.
fewer Who has fewer dots than me?
© 2020 Learning Without Tears

[This activity can be used with any number. Pass out Tag Bags
to reflect same, more, and less.]

We’re Learning
Fine Motor Open and close fasteners with two hands (bilateral activity)
Number Count to 10
Number See that the number is the same as the dot total (1:1 correspondence)
Number/Relations
Compare amounts
Vocabulary same, more, fewer 5
 Get Star ted: Ordinal Numbers
Distribute bags with numbers 1, 2, or 3 to children. Tune: “She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain”
Have children line up by color and number
according to song. If your bag says number 1, then you are first.
If your bag says number 1, then you are first.
If your bag says number 1, if your bag says number 1,
If your bag says number 1, then you are first.

first first first If your bag says number 2, then you are second.
If your bag says number 2, then you are second.
If your bag says number 2, if your bag says number 2,
If your bag says number 2, then you are second.
second second second If your bag says number 3, then you are third.
If your bag says number 3, then you are third.
If your bag says number 3, if your bag says number 3,
If your bag says number 3, then you are third.
third third third
[This can be repeated with any strand of numbers.
(fourth, fifth, sixth, etc.)]

© 2020 Learning Without Tears

We’re Learning Fine Motor Open and close fasteners with two hands (bilateral activity)
Number Connect number to ordinal name
Social-Emotional Listen to directions and line up in order
6 Vocabulary first, second, third
 Get Star ted:
Gather all Tag Bags with numbers 6-10. Display bags
6-10 in one color horizontally like elevator buttons.
Give each child one of the remaining Tag Bags with
numbers 6-10. Children board the "elevator" and get
off when their number ("floor") is called.
Elevator Ride
Tune: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
Elevator going up, going up, going up.
Elevator going up. Please step in everyone.
Press the button for your floor, for your floor, for your floor.
Press the button for your floor. Please step back everyone.

Stopping at the sixth floor now, sixth floor now, sixth floor now.
Stopping at the sixth floor now. Please step out number sixes.

[Repeat for seventh through tenth floors.]

© 2020 Learning Without Tears

We’re Learning Fine Motor Open and close fasteners with two hands (bilateral activity)
Number Connect number to ordinal name
Social-Emotional Wait for a turn
Vocabulary sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth 7
 Get Star ted: Fastener Sort
Place all Tag Bags in a mixed pile. Tune: “Muffin Man”
Help children group colors together as they make rows
Oh, can you find a button bag,
by fastener.
A button bag, a button bag?
Can you find a button bag
And lay it in a row?
What colors are the button bags,
 2 3 4 5 6 The button bags, the button bags?
What colors are the button bags?
The bags are green and orange.
How many of each color are there,
Each color are there, each color are there?
How many of each color are there?
Let’s count the green and orange.
[spoken] 1, 2, 3, 4 green. 1, 2 orange.
We have 4 green and 2 orange,
4 green, 2 orange, 4 green, 2 orange.
We have 4 green and 2 orange,
And that makes 6 in all.
[spoken] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in all.

© 2020 Learning Without Tears

Repeat for each fastener group: Buckle = 3 orange + 3 blue
Snap = 2 blue + 4 yellow
Velcro = 1 yellow + 5 red
Zipper = 5 purple + 1 green

We’re Learning
Number Count to 6
Number/Operations Put together sets to make a new total (composing)
Patterns/Algebra Sort and classify by attributes (fastener)
8 Vocabulary row, how many, in all
 Get Star ted: Measuring
Choose a classroom object to measure. Tune: “I Saw Three Ships”
Have children place bags in a row next to the object.
To know how long a bookcase is,
We measure it. We measure it.
To know how long a bookcase is,
We lay our bags right beside it.

We lay our Tag Bags in a row,

No space between, no space between.
When the length matches, then we’ll know,
To stop and count up our Tag Bags.

How many Tag Bags in the row?

We point and count. We point and count.
How many Tag Bags in the row?
That tells the length of the bookcase.
[spoken] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
The bookcase is 6 Tag Bags long.

[Can measure objects up to 30 Tag Bags long.]

© 2020 Learning Without Tears

We’re Learning Measurement Use non-standard units

Geometry/Spatial Relations Place tools for measuring end-to-end
Vocabulary long, beside, row, between, length
9
 Get Star ted: Pocket Patterns
Have one child open a Tag Bag with a contrasting Tune: “A Tisket, A Tasket”
Color Tag in the pocket.
Guide others to find bags and tags to continue the pattern. I open a Tag Bag
And look into the pocket.
Inside I find a little tag,
A tag inside the pocket.

What color? What color?

Can you name the two colors?
A yellow bag, an orange tag,
Two colors for our pattern.

Find more bags, find more tags,

To match the first two colors.
They're in the piles of bags and tags.
Collect them for the pattern.

Repeat them, repeat them,

To grow a color pattern.
Put down a yellow, then an orange.
We made a color pattern!

© 2020 Learning Without Tears

We’re Learning Fine Motor Open and close fasteners with two hands (bilateral activity)
Patterns/Algebra Create and grow a pattern
Vocabulary pattern, more, match, first, repeat, grow
10
 Get Star ted: Pocket Names
Place a Name Tag for each child inside a Tag Bag. Tune: “London Bridge”
Give each child a bag.
Open bags and look inside.
Guide children to return each Name Tag to its owner.
Take it out. Take it out.
What is on your paper tag?
See the letters.

Whose name starts with letter D?

Letter D? Letter D?
Whose name starts with letter D?
It is Devin.

[Return name tag to Devin. Repeat for each name.

Sing final stanza once children have their own Name Tags.]

How many letters in your name?

In your name? In your name?
How many letters in your name?
Point and count them.
© 2020 Learning Without Tears

We’re Learning Fine Motor Open and close fasteners with two hands (bilateral activity)
Letter Recognition Recognize initial letters in names
Number Count letters (1:1 correspondence)
Social-Emotional Cooperate to find names
Vocabulary how many 11
 Instructional Scope
Number is a fundamental way of describing in math. Number Operations and Relations include quantity,
comparing quantities, counting, and mathematical operations.
• Count to 10
• Recognize that the last number counted tells how many (cardinality)
• Count on from 5
• See that the number is the same as the dot total (1:1 correspondence)
• Compare amounts
• Connect number to ordinal name
• Put together sets to make a new total (composing)
Geometry is the study of shapes and space. Spatial Relations are associations between objects
and/or people in an environment.
• Place tools for measuring end-to-end
Measurement is determining the size of an object. It connects geometry and number.
• Use non-standard units
Patterns/Algebra are problem solving strategies. Seeing and creating patterns are basic to algebra.
• Sort and classify by attribute (colors or fasteners)
• Create and grow a pattern
Social-Emotional skills are behaviors for relationships with others.
• Wait for a turn
• Cooperate to find names

© 2020 Learning Without Tears

Fine Motor skill is the coordinated use of hands and eyes.
• Open and close fasteners with two hands (bilateral activity)
Vocabulary is language for naming and describing math concepts, e.g., fewer, length, repeat.

12
 Glossary

attributes – characteristics or qualities, such as size, color, shape, weight, texture, number of parts

bilateral activity – a task that requires the use of both hands

cardinal number – (one, two, three . . . ) a word that tells the counted quantity

cardinality – answers the question, "How many?"; the last number counted tells the total

classification – sorting or grouping things into categories based on various criteria

composing – putting together sets to make a new total

one-to-one correspondence – assigning one number to one object in a set when counting

ordinal number – (first, second, third . . . ) a word that tells the position of something in a sequence

pattern – a sequence of objects or attributes that repeats

set – a group of objects that shares one or more attributes

sorting – separating objects into groups or sets based on attributes

© 2020 Learning Without Tears

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