Problem solving in Grade 1


There are a range of problem types which can be found in the CAPS document and used as a guideline.


1. Carol gave Jade 5 cupcakes on her birthday. Her aunt gave her 6 cupcakes. How many cupcakes does she have now?


2. Jody has 14 pencils. She buys 4 more. How many pencils does she have altogether?


3. Justin has 15 marbles. He plays with his friends and loses 10 marbles. How many marbles does he have now?


4. Tegra comes to school with 8 slices of bread. He gives Jankin 2 slices. How many does he have left?


5. Rosie has six red sweets and 8 green sweets. How many sweets does she have altogether?


6. Chad has 15 stickers. 7 are blue and all the others are red. How many are red?


7. Bardo has 18 books and Erynne Leigh has 12. How many more books does Bardo have than Erynne Leigh?


8. There are 5 cars in the car park. How many wheels altogether?


9. How many eyes do 6 learners have?


10. Share 15 balloons among 3 learners so that they all have an equal amount to blow up.


11. Share 9 chocolate bars among 4 learners so that each of them gets an equal amount of chocolate. (The learners will not be asked to say what the fraction is. They will merely say that the answer is 2 and a bit.)


12. Plamedi has to sell her 16 apples in packets of four. How many packets of 4 can she make?


13. If I drink 2 glasses of milk everyday for 5 days. How many glasses will I drink?


14. Your father plants 4 rows of roses. Each row has 4 roses. How many roses did he plant?


Mental Maths Grade 1


The number bonds and multiplication table facts are practised and recalled. The higher number ranges are explored via skip counting, number patterns and by using more/less. Learners are not forced to do calculations beyond their range and those needing practical materials should be allowed to use them.


1. Number bonds to 10: 2 + 3 = ; 4 + 1 = ; 7 + 1 = ; 6 + 4 = ; 3 + 5 = ; etc.


2. Subtraction: 10 – 4 = ; 8 – 2 = ; 4 – 1 = ; 5 – 4 = ; 6 – 5 = ; 7 – 2 = ; etc.


3. Which number is 1 more or 1 less than numbers up to 20.


4. Which numbers are 2 more or 2 less than numbers up to 20.


5. Which numbers are 3 more or 3 less than numbers up to 20.


6. Which numbers are before / after / between up to 20.


7. More than / less than / is equal to numbers up to 100.


8. Place value of numbers to 20 – tens and units 9. Halving up to 20 – even and odd numbers. 10. Doubling up to 20.


11. Number patterns – number sequences by counting forwards and backwards.


12. Number patterns as multiples. 13. Identification of shapes and 3D objects. 14. Number names and number symbols.


15. Naming numbers before and after a given number.


16. Ordering a given set of numbers.


128 Resources


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