Mathematics
Counting to Ten
Counting to 10
Count things you can see, say the numbers in order, find one more, and answer "how many?".
Let us count!
Ama and Kofi are going to the market with Mama.
There are many things to count at the market. Oranges, eggs, bananas and more.
Can you count with them? Say the numbers out loud: one, two, three!
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One
One sun in the sky. One nose on your face. One mouth to smile.
Hold up one finger.
Say it: one!
What else do you have just one of?
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Two
Two eyes. Two ears. Two hands. Two feet.
Hold up two fingers.
Clap two times: clap, clap!
Kofi has two slippers. Can you find two of something in your room?
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Three
Mama buys three tomatoes. One, two, three.
Hold up three fingers.
Stamp your feet three times: stamp, stamp, stamp!
Abena has three brothers. How many brothers or sisters do you have?
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Four
A goat has four legs. A chair has four legs too.
Hold up four fingers.
Count the legs on a table: one, two, three, four.
Can you find something with four wheels?
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Five
You have five fingers on one hand.
Hold up your hand and count: one, two, three, four, five!
Give a friend a high five.
Five toes on one foot too. Count them tonight!
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Six
Kofi finds six eggs in a basket.
Count them: one, two, three, four, five, six.
Hold up five fingers on one hand and one on the other. That is six!
An ant has six legs. That is a lot of legs!
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Seven
There are seven days in one week.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Hold up seven fingers. Five on one hand, two on the other.
Tap the table seven times. Count as you tap!
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Eight
A spider has eight legs.
Hold up eight fingers. Five and three more.
Ama draws eight circles in the sand. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
Can you draw eight circles too?
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Nine
Nine is one less than ten.
Hold up nine fingers. Five and four more.
Count nine oranges at the market: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.
Which finger is still down?
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Ten
Ten fingers! All of them up.
Count with me: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!
Ten toes too. Wiggle them all.
Ten is a big number for little hands. Well done!
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Numbers in order
Numbers like to stand in a line.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Say them in order, like children in a line at school.
Start with one. Finish with ten. Do not jump over any!
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Count the oranges
Abena sells oranges at the market in Tamale.
Point to each orange in the picture. Say a number for each one.
Count slowly. Touch one orange, say one number.
How many did you count?
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Touch and count
When we count, we touch each thing once.
Touch, say one. Touch, say two. Touch, say three.
Do not touch the same thing twice!
The last number you say tells you how many there are.
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How many bananas?
Look at the bananas. Touch each one.
One, two, three... Keep going!
The last number you say is the answer.
How many bananas are there? Tell a grown-up.
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Counting at home
Kofi counts the cups at home. One, two, three, four.
Four cups for four people.
Count the spoons. Count the chairs. Count the shoes by the door.
What can you count in your house?
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Counting on the trotro
Ama rides a trotro to school.
She counts the people who get on. One, two, three, four, five, six.
How many people are on the trotro now?
What else can you count on the road?
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One more
Kwame has two mangoes. Mama gives him one more.
Now he has three! Two and one more is three.
One more means the next number.
After 2 comes 3. After 3 comes 4.
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Let us try one more
Abena has four eggs. She finds one more.
How many now? Count: one, two, three, four, five.
Five! Four and one more is five.
Now you try. You have six. One more makes...?
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One more with fingers
Hold up three fingers.
Now put up one more finger.
Count them. How many fingers are up now?
Try again with seven fingers. One more makes eight!
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One less
Kofi has five sweets. He eats one.
Now he has one less. Four sweets are left.
One less means the number before.
Before 5 comes 4. Before 10 comes 9.
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Count the mangoes
Mango season! Mama buys a pile of mangoes.
Point to each mango. Count slowly: one, two, three...
How many mangoes can you count?
If you eat one, how many will be left?
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Which has more?
Ama has three oranges. Kofi has five oranges.
Who has more?
Count Ama's: 1, 2, 3. Count Kofi's: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Five is bigger than three. Kofi has more!
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Which has fewer?
Abena has two pencils. Kwame has four pencils.
Who has fewer?
Two is smaller than four. Abena has fewer pencils.
Fewer means not as many.
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Zero
Kofi had three kenkey balls. He ate them all!
Now he has none. That is zero.
Zero means nothing. Nothing at all.
Show zero fingers. Close your hand tight!
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Counting money
Mama gives Ama some coins. Ama counts them.
One, two, three, four, five. Five coins!
A pure water sells for GH₵1. How many coins does Ama have?
Can you count coins at home with a grown-up?
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Counting backwards
Can you count down? Start at ten.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blast off!
Pretend you are a rocket.
Jump high when you get to one!
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Missing number
Numbers in a line. One is hiding!
1, 2, 3, ?, 5
Which number is missing? Say it loud.
Now try this one: 6, 7, ?, 9, 10
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Count at school
Kofi's class has many things to count.
Count the pupils in the picture. Count the chairs. Count the books.
How many teachers do you see?
Counting helps us know how many of everything there is.
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You can count to ten!
You learned to count from one to ten.
You can say the numbers in order.
You know one more and one less.
You can answer "how many?". Give yourself ten claps!
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Learn more
- Khan Academy Kids early maths — free counting lessons and practice for young children
- Numberblocks on CBeebies — a cartoon where the numbers one to ten come to life
- Starfall — simple counting and number games to play on a phone
- PBS Kids — free games and songs about numbers
- NaCCA Ghana — the Ghana curriculum that this book follows
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Watch more
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Think about it
- How many fingers do you have on both hands?
- Count the people in your house. How many are there?
- You have four oranges. Mama gives you one more. How many now?
- Which number comes after seven?
- What can you find ten of at the market?
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This book is for reading on SchoolSpec and cannot be printed.