What Day of the Omer Is It? Count with Me - All The Way to 50

Jews and people of Hebrew descent can be heard saying, "What day of the Omer is it?" during the time between Passover and Pentecost. Passover occurs each year according to the sighting of the first new moon of the Hebrew calendar. The first new moon occurs in the Spring. Not only do people ask what day of the Omer is it, they make charts and keep records of the Omer count. The omer is a unit of measure for barley. On the second day of Passover a sacrifice of an omer of barley is made. Counting the Omer refers to a verbal counting of each of the forty nine days between Passover and Pentecost at which time an offering of wheat is made on day fifty.

Counting the Omer is a great way to introduce young children to the numbers one to fifty. There are many ways to Count the Omer with your children. Very young children can be shown flashcards with the numbers one to fifty. Each day review the previous numbers that were counted. Introduce the new number corresponding to the Omer count. By the time you get to fifty your child will be able to identify the numbers one to fifty. Once the Omer count is done you can continue and go up to one hundred!

Older children can write the numbers that have already been counted. Each day start with one and write the numbers up to the number that corresponds to the day of the Omer. A simple chart designed like a calendar can be use to mark off the days of the Omer for a child who has not yet learned to write. A simple X over the number on the chart will do.

Be creative in making charts for your child to count the Omer. Girls may like to draw a flower that has fifty petals. Number each petal of the flower. Each day a flower petal may be colored. A boy may enjoy coloring a picture of a barn with fifty shingles on the roof. Each day one shingle can be colored.

Counting the Omer with your children is a great way to teach basic number identification. Incorporate this into your home school curriculum and be creative. Your children will love the daily repetition and you both will benefit from adhering to a consistent and structured activity. What Day of the Omer Is It?