Year 1Autumn TermAges 5-6
Tips & Hints
Counting to Five
🌟
You don't need to be an Arabic expert to teach your child. Consistency, encouragement, and making it fun are far more important than perfection. These tips will help you feel confident and prepared.
🏫 For Teachers
- Young children learn numbers best through physical counting — always use objects, fingers, or actions.
- Repeat each number at least 5 times per lesson in different contexts.
- Eastern Arabic numerals may look unfamiliar — display them alongside Western numerals until confident.
- A daily counting routine (count the children, the pencils) builds fluency naturally.
🏠 For Parents
- Count everyday objects in Arabic together — stairs, grapes, toys. Make it part of your routine!
- Arabic numbers 1–5 sound quite different from English, so do not worry if it takes a few weeks.
- Eastern Arabic numerals (١٢٣) are used in many countries — spot them on Middle Eastern food packaging.
- Sing counting songs in Arabic at bath time or in the car — repetition through song is effective.
💡 Learning Hints & Memory Tricks
- ✦"Waahid" (1) — hold up ONE finger and say it. One finger, one word!
- ✦"Khamsa" (5) — think of a whole hand with all FIVE fingers spread out, like a high five!
- ✦Eastern Arabic numerals: ١ looks like the number 1 — they are not so different after all!