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Short Christmas story for toddlers: counting the lights
3 min read · For:
It was dark outside. Dark and cold.
Zoe put on her coat. She put on her hat with the pom-pom. She put on her mittens.
"Ready, Zoe?" asked Dad.
"Ready!" said Zoe.
They were going for a walk. A special walk. A Christmas lights walk.
One, two, three
Dad opened the front door. And there, right by their own door, was...
One star. A big yellow star, glowing in the window.
"One!" said Zoe.
They walked down the path. At the house next door, there were two little trees in pots, sparkling with tiny white lights.
"One, two!" said Zoe.
Across the road, there were three snowmen made of lights. A big one, a middle one and a small one.
"One, two, three!" said Zoe.
Four, five, six
They walked on. Crunch, crunch, went the frosty leaves.
In a window there were four candles. Not real candles, but lights that looked like candles, all in a row.
"Four!" said Zoe, counting on her fingers.
On a door there was a wreath with five red lights, like five shiny berries.
"Five!" said Zoe.
And on a roof, six blue lights blinked on and off, on and off. Like stars winking.
"Six!" said Zoe, and she winked back.
Seven, eight, nine
At the corner, there was a big tree in a yard, with seven glowing ornaments hanging from its branches.
"Seven!" said Zoe. "That's a lot."
In the store window, there were eight little reindeer made of lights, pulling a sleigh.
"Eight!" said Zoe. "Look, Dad, they're flying!"
And all along a fence, there were nine lanterns, red, green, red, green, red, green, red, green, red.
"Nine!" said Zoe. She had to use both hands now.
Ten
"We need one more for ten," said Dad.
Zoe looked everywhere. Up and down the street. In the windows. On the roofs.
Then she looked up at the sky.
The clouds had moved away. And there, high above the houses, the stars were coming out. Twinkle, twinkle.
"There," said Zoe. "Ten! And ten more. And ten more. Dad, there are too many to count!"
Dad laughed and picked her up. "Those are the best lights of all," he said.
Home
They walked home. Past the nine lanterns, the eight reindeer, the seven ornaments, the six blue lights, the five red berries, the four candles, the three snowmen and the two little trees.
And at their own front door, there was the one big yellow star, waiting for them.
"Home," said Zoe, and she yawned a big yawn.
Things to do together
- Count again from one to ten, on your fingers.
- What was your favorite light in the story?
- Go for your own lights walk. How many can you count?
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