Fun with the Number 1
Materials Needed
- One large piece of paper
- Crayons or washable markers
- Small objects to count, such as blocks, toy animals, or buttons
- Number cards or a paper with the number 1 written on it
- Play dough or modeling clay
- A small basket or bowl
- Optional: music for a counting-and-movement game
Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson, the child will be able to:
- Recognize the number 1.
- Say the number 1.
- Count one object correctly.
- Trace or make the shape of the number 1.
- Find examples of “one” in everyday life.
Success Criteria
“I know I can do it when I can:
- Point to the number 1.
- Give you one object.
- Make a number 1 with a crayon, finger, or play dough.
- Tell you about something I see one of.”
Introduction: Let’s Find One
Time: 5 minutes
Show the child one toy or object.
Say: “Look! I have one toy. One means just one. Can you hold up one finger?”
Invite the child to hold up one finger. Look around the room together and find one item, such as one lamp, one table, or one door.
Fun question: “Can you find one thing near you?”
Body of the Lesson
I Do: Meet the Number 1
Time: 5 minutes
Show the number card or paper with the number 1.
Say: “This is the number 1. We say, ‘one.’ The number 1 tells us about one thing.”
Use one object to model counting:
- Place one block on the table.
- Touch it once.
- Say, “One.”
Trace the number 1 slowly with your finger while saying: “Start at the top. Go down. This makes 1.”
Quick check: Ask, “How many blocks are here?” Encourage the child to answer, “One.”
We Do: Count One Together
Time: 7 minutes
Place a few objects in front of the child. Ask the child to choose one object and put it in the basket.
Say together: “One object goes in the basket.”
Repeat with different objects, always placing only one object in the basket at a time.
Try these prompts:
- “Can you put one block in the basket?”
- “Can you give me one animal?”
- “Can you pick up one button?”
After each turn, count aloud together: “One!”
Movement Game: One-Step Actions
Time: 5 minutes
Explain: “When I say 1, we do the action one time.”
- Take one jump.
- Clap one time.
- Spin one time.
- Touch one toe.
- Give one wave.
Let the child choose an action for you to do one time. Ask, “How many times did I do it?”
We Do: Make the Number 1
Time: 8 minutes
Give the child play dough. Model how to roll it into a long line and shape it like the number 1.
Say: “Let’s make a number 1. It goes down like this.”
Next, use a crayon or marker to trace a large number 1 on paper. Invite the child to trace over it with a finger first, then with a crayon.
Offer different choices:
- Trace the number 1.
- Decorate a large number 1.
- Make a number 1 with play dough.
- Draw one favorite thing beside the number 1.
You Do: One-Object Hunt
Time: 8 minutes
Ask the child to walk around the home and find things that come in groups of one.
Examples may include:
- One pillow
- One spoon
- One shoe
- One book
- One stuffed animal
For each item, the child brings or points to one object and says, “One ____.”
Safety note: Choose safe objects that are too large to swallow and stay close while the child explores.
Creative Activity: My Number 1 Picture
Time: 10 minutes
Ask the child to draw one special thing, such as one sun, one flower, one pet, or one favorite toy.
Help the child write or trace the number 1 on the page.
Ask:
- “What is your one thing?”
- “Can you point to the number 1?”
- “How many did you draw?”
Celebrate the child’s work with specific feedback: “You made one flower and you found the number 1. You counted carefully!”
Formative Assessment
Check understanding during the lesson by asking the child to:
- Point to the number 1 among two or three number cards.
- Give you one object.
- Show one finger.
- Count one object by touching it once.
- Tell you whether a group has one object or more than one.
Summative Assessment: Show Me One
At the end of the lesson, place several objects in front of the child and give these directions one at a time:
- “Show me the number 1.”
- “Give me one object.”
- “Show me one finger.”
- “Make a number 1 with your finger, crayon, or play dough.”
- “Tell me one thing you found today.”
The child is successful when they complete most tasks with little or no help. Repeat the activities later if the child needs more practice.
Differentiation and Support
- For extra support: Use only one object at a time, provide hand-over-hand guidance when tracing, and repeat the same simple phrase: “One means just one.”
- For visual learners: Use a large, colorful number 1 and place one object beside it.
- For active learners: Practice one-step movements and search for one object around the home.
- For children ready for more: Compare groups of one and two, or ask the child to find one object of several different colors.
- For digital learning: Display a large number 1 on a screen and have the child hold up one finger, then find one object nearby.
Conclusion: Tell Me About One
Time: 5 minutes
Review the lesson together:
- “What number did we learn?”
- “How many is one?”
- “Can you show me one finger?”
- “Can you find one thing?”
Say: “Today we learned that the number 1 means one thing. We found one object, counted one object, and made the number 1.”
Finish with a cheerful chant:
“One, one, number one! Learning numbers is such fun!”
Optional Everyday Follow-Up
During the day, invite the child to notice “one” naturally:
- “Let’s choose one book.”
- “Please bring me one sock.”
- “You may pick one snack.”
- “We see one bird!”