| Category | Details |
| Title | Counting Hats |
| Season & Episode | Season 47, Episode 4718 |
| Main Muppets | Elmo, Zoe, Abby Cadabby, The Count, Grover, Cookie Monster |
| Human Guest(s) | Gordon, Chris, Alan |
| Letter of the Day | C (for Counting) |
| Number of the Day | 10 |
| Theme | Mathematical counting, competition, and physical balance. |
| Key Segments | Super Grover 2.0: Balancing Act, Elmo’s World: Counting. |
| Air Date | May 6, 2017 (HBO) |
Summary
Gordon's got a contest going on to see who can wear the most hats. Elmo and Zoe are going head-to-head in this event. Chris and Alan are sportscasters and assistants. A marching band provides a drumroll. The Hat Check Girl counts the hats as the stack grows from four to seven. The commentators put on their own baseball caps to keep the game going.
Abby Cadabby uses her magic to provide more hats. Her first attempt conjures hat wearing bats. The Count tallies these bats. Abby finds the right spell to make more headwear. The towers get tall and wobbly. Elmo and Zoe run across the street to keep their balance. They accidentally knock over a block tower that Grover built.
Alan and Chris take care of the massive stacks at the end. The Hat Check Girl counts by fives to save time. Elmo and Zoe balance 30 hats each. So, the result is a tie. Both competitors are pretty proud of their work. They've chosen to play a different game without the usual headwear. Abby accidentally casts the spell one last time. Gordon wraps up the day with a massive stack of books balanced on his head.
Parent's Guide
Elmo and Zoe are competing to see who can wear the most hats. They're still there for you during the game. Competition doesn't have to have a winner and a loser. You teach kids to value peer efforts by focusing on the shared challenge.
Elmo and Zoe are doing the wave to keep the hat towers from falling. This activity is all about proprioception. You help kids develop gross motor skills through games that require physical steadying. These movements help you develop physical self-control.
The game starts with a few hats and builds up to more and more. It's similar to the way we use scaffolding in education. When you're working on a task at home, it's helpful to break it down into smaller steps. Starting small is key to making sure a child doesn't get overwhelmed. This helps you build mental stamina for bigger challenges.
The hat check girl counts by fives to manage 30 hats. Skip counting is a big step in learning about numbers. It introduces multiplication and efficiency. You can practice this by putting socks or snacks into piles of five. This helps your child see patterns in numbers.
Abby Cadabby accidentally summons bats with a magic spell. She tries again to find the right spell. Mistakes are a great chance to talk about how to deal with them. You teach kids that making a mistake is a step toward finding a solution. This helps people think they can do their best and not be afraid of failing.
When the game hats run out, Alan and Chris donate their baseball caps. Play is more about imagination than toys. You use everyday objects as tools for learning. Encouraging a child to find substitutes can encourage divergent thinking. This skill is key to creative problem solving.
