10 Rules Songleader Guide
10 Rules is a ten commandments song for kids, a counting-based Torah song that introduces the Ten Commandments as guidance rooted in relationship, learning, and choice. Children count from one to ten, learn about Moses climbing Mount Sinai, and explore the idea that Torah helps us make kind choices. The song works in early childhood classrooms, family Shavuot celebrations, religious school music sessions, and Tot Shabbat programs.
Song Structure
The song uses a chorus-and-verse structure that pairs counting with story. The chorus counts from one to ten while introducing Moses and Mount Sinai. The verses develop the relationship between Moses, the Jewish people, and Torah, returning each time to the chorus so children re-anchor in counting.
Movement:
Spread and stretch your fingers to ‘warm up’ the digits before singing.
Model and practice counting and singing with the children. Consider holding out your fingers for a child to touch and count (the spatial perception in touching their fingertip to one fingertip at a time 10 times in a row on a moving target- offering your hand is a great opportunity to practice fine motor control and depth perception!)
Why this Ten Commandments Song Works for Young Children
Our brains respond enthusiastically to input that is both novel and familiar. Counting from one to ten is familiar. Moses, Mount Sinai, and the Ten Commandments are novel. The song holds both at once, and that combination is what makes the learning stick. Most young children delight in the confidence-boosting practice of repeating tasks in which they are already competent, so counting becomes the entry point that makes everything else accessible.
Fingerplay
The fingerplay does as much teaching as the lyrics. I start by spreading and stretching my fingers to warm up. I model counting one through ten on my own hand so children see the rhythm of the count, and I make a point of looking at my own fingers as I count. Toddlers follow the eyes before they follow the words, so when I look at my fingers, they look at theirs.
If a child is showing real interest in trying, I slow the song way down so they have processing time. Pace yourself to the child, not the recording. The song wraps the work in something joyful, and the adjustments are how you let each kiddo find their way in.
Lyrics
Chorus:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
Rules from way up high
Moses climbed the mountain,
Got the Torah on Mt. Sinai!
REPEAT
God gave the rules to Moses,
Moses gave the rules to the Jews
We are the Jewish people
Cuz’ we are the people who choose (to follow..)
Chorus
I love learning Torah
Learning Torah is sweet
It helps me make wise choices
And be kind to the people I meet (I follow…)
Chorus
The rules are called commandments,
There’s more to learn as we grow
We’ll keep learning Torah
Because there is so much more to know (to follow…)
Chorus
How to Use This Song
I introduce this song after children have heard the story of Moses receiving Torah at Sinai, so they have a frame for what the counting is pointing toward. If you have recently shared Passover songs with your learners, use what they already know about Moses to introduce this one. Activating that prior knowledge accelerates the work the song is doing. Teach the chorus first because counting is the easiest entry, then add the verses one at a time as the group becomes confident.
Benefits
- Builds confidence through the familiar terrain of counting before adding new content
- Supports early numeracy inside a meaningful Jewish context
- Frames Torah as ongoing, sweet, and connected to choice
- Bridges from Passover Moses learning into Shavuot Sinai learning
- Makes the giving of Torah accessible to children who cannot yet articulate what it means
Jewish Context
Shavuot marks the moment the Jewish people received the Torah at Sinai. That is the central event of the holiday, and it can feel abstract for young children. Singing about it, counting it, naming Moses by name, holding up ten fingers and ten commandments, these are the ways children participate in the story before they can articulate any of it. The song honors the size of the Sinai moment while keeping it within reach.
Building Your Shavuot Repertoire
10 Good Rules is one piece of a complete Shavuot music collection. Use the 10 Songs For Kiddos roundup and the playlist to round out your programming. For more comprehensive support, check out Songleading For Kiddos!
The Shavuot unit is one of 20 thematic units in Dr. Emily Jewish Music for Kiddos Curriculum, available exclusively to Songleading For Kiddos members. Each unit also includes session plans, slide decks, and ready-to-use family newsletter blurbs. Whether you teach a Tot Shabbat program, a religious school music session, or an early childhood classroom, the unit hands you the songs and the framework that lighten your load and lift your leadership.
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