Counting 1-10

Jambo Mwanafunzi! Let's Go on a Number Adventure!

Habari yako? Today, we are going to learn a superpower! It’s the power of counting. Numbers are everywhere! How many chapati are on your plate? How many boda-bodas do you see on the road? Let's learn to count them all from one to ten. Tuko pamoja? (Are we together?) Let's begin!

Meet Our Number Friends: 1 to 5

Let's meet the first five numbers. They are special and love to help us count things around us. We say their names in English and Kiswahili!

• 1 (One / Moja): There is one big, bright sun in the sky.

  
        \   /
         .-.
      -- ( ) --
         '-'
        /   \
          

• 2 (Two / Mbili): You have two beautiful eyes to see the world.
• 3 (Three / Tatu): A stool in the sitting room often has three legs to keep it steady.
• 4 (Four / Nne): Our wonderful Kenyan flag has four main colours: black, red, green, and white.
• 5 (Five / Tano): You have five fingers on one hand. Wave them and say Jambo!

Image Suggestion: A cheerful and bright children's book illustration of a Kenyan child standing next to a market stall. The child is holding up one hand, showing five fingers. On the stall, there are clearly visible groups of items: 1 large pineapple, 2 bunches of bananas, 3 cabbages, 4 tomatoes, and 5 mangoes.

Let's Keep Going! Numbers 6 to 10

Wow, you are doing so well! Let's meet the rest of our number friends up to ten.

• 6 (Six / Sita): Mama can buy six eggs from the duka to make breakfast.
• 7 (Seven / Saba): There are seven days in one week! From Monday to Sunday.
• 8 (Eight / Nane): An octopus swimming in the ocean at Mombasa has eight arms!
• 9 (Nine / Tisa): Imagine nine colourful Maasai beads on a string.
• 10 (Ten / Kumi): You have ten toes to wiggle in the sand!

How Do We Count? It's as Easy as 1, 2, 3!

Counting is like giving each object a name. When we count, we point to one thing at a time and say a number. We start with 1, then 2, and we don't skip any number or any object!

Story Time: Juma is helping his father on the shamba. He sees some cows. To know how many there are, he must count them. He points to the first cow and says "Moja." He points to the next cow and says "Mbili." He points to the last cow and says "Tatu." Now Juma knows there are three cows!

Here is how Juma counted his father's goats:

Pointing to Goat 1  -> Say "MOJA" (1)
Pointing to Goat 2  -> Say "MBILI" (2)
Pointing to Goat 3  -> Say "TATU" (3)
Pointing to Goat 4  -> Say "NNE" (4)

He found four goats. Vizuri sana, Juma!

Your Turn to Be the Champion Counter!

Let's practice together. Look at the drawings below and count with me.

How many balls can you see?

    O   O   O   O   O

Let's count: Moja, Mbili, Tatu, Nne, Tano! Yes! There are 5 balls! Hongera! (Congratulations!)

How many little houses (nyumba) are there?

     /\\       /\\
    /  \\     /  \\
   |    |   |    |
   +----+   +----+

Let's count: Moja, Mbili! Fantastic! There are 2 houses! You are a math superstar!

Image Suggestion: A vibrant, cartoon-style drawing of a Kenyan safari scene. In the scene, there are 2 giraffes eating from a tall acacia tree, 4 zebras drinking from a small waterhole, and 6 pink flamingos standing on one leg. The style is simple and clear for easy counting.

Kazi Nzuri! (Good Work!)

You have been an amazing learner today! You have met all the numbers from 1 to 10, and you have learned how to count things around you. That is a wonderful new skill!

Your homework is to be a number detective. Go around your home, the shamba, or the school and count everything you see!

• Count the spoons on the table.
• Count the windows on your house.
• Count your friends when you play.

The more you count, the better you will get. Keep practicing, and remember that numbers are your friends. Kwaheri na uwe na siku njema! (Goodbye and have a good day!)