Whole Numbers: Counting & Writing 1-10 – Basic 1 Mathematics Lesson Note (First Term)

Subject: Mathematics
Class: Primary 1
Topic: Whole Numbers – Counting & Writing 1-10
Duration: 30 minutes

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils should be able to:

• Count numbers from 1 to 10 correctly
• Count backwards from 10 to 1
• Write numbers 1 to 10 properly

1. COUNTING SKILL: Numbers 1-10

Let’s Count Together: 

1 – ONE 

2 – TWO

3 – THREE 

4 – FOUR 

5 – FIVE 

6 – SIX 

7 – SEVEN 

8 – EIGHT 

9 – NINE 

10 – TEN

Exercise 1: Count and say the numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Exercise 2: Fill in the missing numbers:

1. 1, 2, ___, 4, 5
2. 3, 4, 5, ___, 7
3. 6, 7, ___, 9, 10
4. 1, ___, 3, ___, 5

Exercise 3: Count these objects: (Teacher shows objects for pupils to count)

1. 🍎🍎🍎 = _____
2. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = _____
3. 📚📚📚📚📚📚📚 = _____

2. REVERSE COUNTING (Backwards)

Counting Backwards from 10 to 1: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Exercise 4: Say the numbers backwards: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Exercise 5: Fill in the missing numbers (backwards):

1. 10, 9, ___, 7, 6
2. 8, 7, 6, ___, 4
3. 5, 4, ___, 2, 1
4. 10, ___, 8, ___, 6

Exercise 6: Complete the backwards counting:

1. 7, 6, 5, ___, ___, ___
2. 10, 9, ___, ___, ___, 5
3. 6, ___, 4, ___, 2, ___

3. WRITING SKILL: Writing Numbers 1-10

How to Write Numbers:

1 – Start at top, straight line down 

2 – Start at top, curve right, then straight across 

3 – Start at top, curve right, curve right again 

4 – Down, across, then down 

5 – Down, across, curve down and around 

6 – Start at top, curve down and around 

7 – Across the top, then slant down 

8 – Start at top, curve down and up, like two circles 

9 – Start at top, around and down 

10 – Straight line, then circle

Exercise 7: Trace these numbers: 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5

Exercise 8: Trace these numbers: 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 10 10

Exercise 9: Write the numbers by yourself:

1. Write number 3: _____ _____ _____
2. Write number 7: _____ _____ _____
3. Write number 5: _____ _____ _____
4. Write number 9: _____ _____ _____

Exercise 10: Write the missing numbers:

1. 1, 2, ___, 4, ___
2. ___, 7, 8, ___, 10
3. 3, ___, 5, ___, 7

Exercise 11: Write numbers in order: _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____

Exercise 12: Write numbers backwards: _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____

Exercise 13: Match the number to the word:

• 5 → EIGHT
• 3 → FIVE
• 8 → THREE
• 1 → TEN
• 10 → ONE

Exercise 14: Count and write the number:

1. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 = _____
2. 🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈 = _____
3. 🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀 = _____

Homework

1. Practice counting from 1 to 10 out loud 5 times
2. Practice counting backwards from 10 to 1 three times
3. Write each number 1 to 10 five times in your exercise book
4. Count 10 objects in your house and write the numbers
5. Teach a family member to count from 1 to 10

Teacher: Use fingers, objects, or number cards to make counting visual and fun