Family Guide — Session 11: Numbers 1 to 5

A one-page guide for parents, after-school caregivers, or co-teachers. Plain English. No teaching experience required.

What we learned today

Your child can now count from 1 to 5 in Arabic:

They also met the Arabic numerals — ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ — which look different from the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 we use in English. (Fun fact: both number systems came from Arabic-speaking mathematicians. These are the originals.)

Why this matters

Numbers are the most useful words in any language. Once your child can count to 5, they can count fingers, count cousins, count grapes on a plate, count steps to the door. Counting is a doing word, not a memorizing word — the more you count things together, the faster it sticks.

Recognizing the numerals ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ is a quiet superpower. Your child will start spotting them on packages, on Arabic TV channels, on grandma's phone keypad.

What to do this evening (3 minutes total)

You don't need to drill or quiz. Just do these three tiny things:

1. Count something small together.

Grapes, crayons, fingers, stairs. Point and count out loud:

"واحَد، اِثنَين، ثَلاثة، أَربَعة، خَمسة!" (Wahad, ithnayn, thalatheh, arba'a, khamseh!)

2. Ask "كَم؟" (kam? = how many?)

Hold up some fingers. Ask "كَم؟" Let them answer in Arabic if they can. If not, you answer, and try again tomorrow.

3. At bedtime, count to 5 in Arabic as you tuck them in.

One kiss per number. Five kisses. Done.

What to do this week (5 minutes total)

Pick one of these:

• Write ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ on sticky notes and put them on five things around the house (one sticker on the milk, two on the remote, etc.). See if your child can read the numerals.
• Count the stairs in Arabic every time you go up or down. By Friday they won't even think about it.
• "Kam?" game at dinner. Point at things on the table — olives, forks, kids — and ask "Kam?" Whoever answers in Arabic first gets to pick dessert.
• Phone numbers in Arabic. Look at any Arabic keyboard on your phone (long-press the number key). Your child can match ١ to 1, ٢ to 2, and so on.

If you don't know Arabic yourself

You can absolutely do this one. Counting to 5 is the most beginner-friendly Arabic there is.

• Count out loud with your kid. Even if your pronunciation is rough, the rhythm of wahad-ithnayn-thalatheh-arba'a-khamseh is catchy. By Wednesday you'll have it.
• Let your child correct you. This is gold. When they say "no, Mom, it's KHAM-seh, not kham-SAH," they're teaching — and teaching is when learning locks in.
• The numerals look strange at first. That's okay. Even just recognizing ٣ (three) and ٥ (five) by the end of the week is a win.

If you're a heritage Arabic speaker

• Count in Arabic instead of English this week. When you're cutting fruit, setting the table, doing laundry — count out loud in Arabic. Your child's ear is the best teacher you have.
• Use the dialect you grew up with. If your family says tlaata instead of thalatheh, or khamsi instead of khamseh — teach them both. Heritage kids benefit from hearing the real family version.
• Don't skip the written numerals. Heritage kids often hear Arabic numbers but have never seen ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ written. The written piece is where they need you most.

What's coming next session

Session 12: Numbers 6 to 10 (الأَرقام مِن سِتّة لِعَشرة) — Your child learns the next five numbers and can count all the way to ten.

Materials needed: nothing new. Just bring this folder.

Questions or struggles?

Email: dabagh_safaa@smc.edu Or visit: https://learnwithoutwalls.com

Yalla Arabic · Family Guide · Session 11