Welcome to Grade 1 Mathematics!
Grade 1 is where the magic begins!
This is the year your child discovers that math isn't just numbers on a page; it's in their LEGOs, their snacks, their bedtime stories, and the shapes they see on your morning walk.
Through picture books, playful exploration, and lots of "aha!" moments, first graders build the mathematical foundation that will support everything that comes next.
Setting Up Your Math-Rich Home
Create Visual Anchors
Use painter's tape to create a number line (0-20) at your child's eye level somewhere they pass frequently—the hallway, their bedroom, or near the kitchen table.
Keep Tools Accessible
Store a small basket of math manipulatives where your child can reach them independently: buttons, LEGO bricks, pattern blocks, or small counting objects.
Make Math Visible
Display a calendar and interact with it daily. Create a simple "math word wall" with vocabulary and pictures—add to it as you discover new concepts together.
The Essentials
(you probably have these)
A few picture books (start with 2-3, add as you go)
Basic manipulatives: buttons, beans, LEGO bricks, blocks, or small toys for counting
Paper, crayons, scissors, glue
Items from nature: sticks, rocks, shells
Everyday household objects
Nice to Haves
Pattern blocks or tangrams
Linking cubes or snap cubes
Play money
A geoboard
Base-ten blocks
Number cards or dice
You don't need a dedicated classroom or expensive materials. Just a few intentional touches can transform your home into a space where math naturally emerges in daily life.
Our Promise: We design every activity around what most families already have. When we suggest something specific, we'll always offer simple alternatives using household items.
Math learning shouldn't require a shopping trip.
Ready to dive in?
Your Quick-Start Path
Pick a concept that matches where your child is right now (or start with Concept 1!)
Grab a book from the library or a tool from our resource list that introduces the concept
Try an activity together using things you have at home
Apply it through a project when they're ready to go deeper
Notice math everywhere and point it out as you go about your day
Concept List for Grade 1:
Most concepts take 2-3 weeks each with your kiddo, but here's the secret: math happens in tiny moments all day long.
Counting stairs. Comparing who has more crackers. Finding rectangles in your neighborhood. All those moments? They're doing the work.
Below you'll find every concept your first grader will explore.
Click to dive into activities, books that bring the concept to life, and projects that let them apply what they're learning.
NUMBER SENSE & COUNTING | Resources that make it stick
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What your child is learning:
First graders move from reciting numbers to understanding what they mean. They count forward, backward, from any number, and begin to see patterns—this is where number sense starts to form.Skills they’re building:
Counting objects accurately (one touch = one number)
Reading and writing numerals 0–20
Counting forward and backward from any number
Understanding that the last number said = total (cardinality)
Skip counting by 10s to 100
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What your child is learning:
Kids learn that "more" and "less" are math concepts, not just playground arguments. They start comparing groups and numbers with reasoning, not just by sight.Skills they’re building:
Comparing two groups of objects (more/less)
Using math language: more, less, fewer, same as, equal to
Ordering numbers from smallest to largest
Understanding that larger numbers represent more
Applying comparison in real-life situations
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What your child is learning:
Zero is a big deal—it means “nothing,” but it holds a place in our number system. Kids explore zero as both a quantity and a placeholder, and begin grouping objects into tens and ones.Skills they’re building:
Understanding zero as a number
Seeing zero’s role in 10, 20, 30
Grouping objects into tens and ones
Using “tens” and “ones” vocabulary
Seeing that 13 ≠ 31 (position matters!)
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What your child is learning:
Addition means “putting things together.” Kids move from counting objects one-by-one to using efficient strategies like “counting on.”Skills they’re building:
Understanding addition as combining
Using “counting on” strategies
Seeing addition in daily life
Understanding + and = symbols
Building fluency with sums to 10
Noticing addition patterns
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What your child is learning:
Subtraction shows up as taking away, comparing, or finding the missing piece. First graders connect it to addition and use it in real life.Skills they’re building:
Understanding subtraction as taking away or comparing
Using related addition facts (7–2=5 because 5+2=7)
Seeing subtraction in real contexts
Understanding − and = symbols
Working with differences within 10
OPERATIONS | Resources that make it stick
GEOMETRY | Resources that make it stick
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What your child is learning:
Beyond just naming shapes, kids learn what defines them—like 3 sides and 3 corners for triangles. They explore both flat and solid shapes.Skills they’re building:
Naming 2D and 3D shapes
Describing attributes (sides, corners)
Understanding that color and size don’t change shape
Combining and dividing shapes
Beginning early fraction thinking
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What your child is learning:
Shapes are like building blocks—they can be combined or broken apart. This helps develop spatial reasoning and early fraction understanding.Skills they’re building:
Combining shapes into new ones
Breaking shapes apart
Using pattern blocks
Making creative shape designs
Seeing fractional relationships
MEASUREMENT & DATA | Resources that make it stick
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What your child is learning:
Kids learn words that describe where things are: over, under, beside, between, in front of, behind. These build both math and language skills.Skills they’re building:
Using position words accurately
Describing locations and relationships
Following multi-step directions
Understanding spatial relationships and maps
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What your child is learning:
Before rulers, kids use comparison to understand measurement. They use hands, blocks, or paper clips to explore how long or short things are.Skills they’re building:
Comparing lengths directly
Using words like longer, shorter, taller
Ordering objects by length
Measuring with non-standard units
Estimating before measuring
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What your child is learning:
Time is tricky because you can’t see it move. Kids learn to read clocks to the hour and half-hour and connect time to daily routines.Skills they’re building:
Reading analog clocks (hour & half-hour)
Understanding hour and minute hands
Writing digital times
Linking time to daily activities
Understanding time sequence
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What your child is learning:
First graders collect, organize, and make sense of data—like favorite colors or snacks. It’s the beginning of logical and statistical thinking.Skills they’re building:
Asking and answering data questions
Collecting info using tallies or pictures
Creating picture and bar graphs
Interpreting data and drawing conclusions
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Not Sure Where to Start?
If your child is just beginning Grade 1 or finishing Kindergarten: Start with Concept 1 (Counting & Number Recognition). Read Ten Black Dots together and try the Number Scavenger Hunt activity.
If your child already counts confidently: Jump to Concept 4 (Addition Foundations). Grab Jack the Builder and set up your home store project.
If your child loves art and building: Start with Concept 6 or 7 (Shapes). Read Mouse Shapes and dive into shape composition activities.
If your child is curious about time: Try Concept 10 (Telling Time). Read The Grouchy Ladybug and create daily schedule clocks together.
Still not sure? Email us at hello@teach-early.com ! We love helping families figure out the perfect starting point.
A Note from the Teach Early Team:
We believe every child is a natural mathematician.
They count their toys, compare who got more goldfish crackers, build with blocks, and notice patterns everywhere. Our job isn't to "teach" them math; it's to nurture that natural curiosity and give them tools to explore deeper.
Grade 1 is where it all begins to crystallize.
Where "three" stops being just a word and becomes a quantity, a position on a number line, a way to describe part of a whole. Where shapes stop being "the triangle one" and become defined by attributes that matter.
This year is about wonder and discovery.
It's about "aha!" moments and proud smiles.
It's about building confidence alongside skills.
Thank you for trusting us to be part of your child's mathematical journey. We can't wait to hear about all the math moments you discover together.
With curiosity and joy,
The Teach Early Team
Beyond Grade 1
Where This Journey Leads
Moving to Grade 2: Everything your child learns in Grade 1 becomes the foundation for Grade 2. Those addition and subtraction skills? They'll add and subtract bigger numbers. Place value understanding? They'll work with hundreds. Shape knowledge? They'll explore more complex geometry.
The Teach Early Approach: Math concepts spiral up through the grades.
Your child won't "finish" addition in Grade 1; they'll revisit it with new depth each year. This builds real mastery, not just memorization.
Connect the Learning
Grade 1 Science: Many of these math concepts connect beautifully to science. Counting and comparing appear in animal studies. Measurement shows up in weather tracking. Shapes and patterns are everywhere in nature.
[Explore Grade 1 Science Curriculum → Coming Soon]
Grade 1 ELA: All those math picture books? They're literacy instruction too: rich vocabulary, story structure, asking questions, and making predictions. Math and reading go hand in hand.
[Explore Grade 1 ELA Curriculum → Coming Soon]