Session 22 — Numbers 6 to 10

الأَرقام مِن سِتّة لِعَشرة

Level: 2 — Food, body, daily routine Time: 25 minutes Audience: Heritage learners + total beginners (ages 6–8) Letter of the day: numerals ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩ ١٠ Big idea: I can count to 10 in Arabic.

👩‍🏫 For teachers

This session works in a 25–30 minute slot with 5–25 students. You'll need: 10 small objects per pair (beans, beads, blocks, or pencils — anything countable), and the number flashcards from the materials packet (the ones showing both ١–١٠ in Arabic numerals and the word). Set up before class: pre-count 10 objects into a small cup for each pair. Write the numerals ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩ ١٠ across the top of your board before students arrive.

Differentiation:

• Heritage stretch: Ask heritage kids to count out loud past 10 if they can (إحدَعش، إطنَعش…) — let them shine, then bring everyone back to 6–10.
• Beginner warm: Some kids are still shaky on 1–5 from Session 21. That's fine. Do the warm-up in Block 1 slowly and clap each number.

🏠 For parents at home

This session works one-on-one in 20 minutes. You'll need: 10 small things from the kitchen — grapes, almonds, cheerios, pasta shells, anything. Plus a piece of paper and a pen. That's it.

If your child is heritage (Arabic spoken at home): they probably already count to 10 when teta asks them to. Lean into that — let them lead. Today is about seeing the numbers written, not just hearing them.

If your child is new to Arabic: counting is one of the easiest wins. The rhythm carries them. Don't worry about perfect pronunciation — thmaniyeh is hard for everyone. If they say "tmenyeh" or "smanyeh," that's great.

Materials checklist

• 10 small countable objects (beans, almonds, beads, Lego bricks)
• A piece of paper and a pen
• Audio file: session-22-audio.mp3 (numbers 1–10 spoken)
• Number flashcards (٦ ٧ ٨ ٩ ١٠) — print or draw
• Optional: the workbook page for Session 22

Block 1: Warm-up — count 1 to 5 (2 min)

Goal: Wake up what they already know from Session 21.

Script:

Hold up one finger and say: "واحد!" (waahed) — "one!" Then two fingers: "اتنين!" (itnayn) — "two!" Keep going to five. Have the child count along with you, fingers up.

Now do it again — faster. Then once more — like a chant, clapping each number.

Say: "Today we keep going — past five. All the way to ten!"

Block 2: Listen & repeat — six to ten (6 min)

Goal: Learn the five new numbers.

Today's vocabulary (5 words):

Script:

Play the audio once. Let them just listen — no echoing yet. Now hold up six fingers (one hand + thumb of the other) and say "سِتّة!" loudly. Have them echo. Then seven fingers, "سَبعة!" Echo. Keep going.

A note on thmaniyeh: it has that th sound (like English "thumb"). Stick your tongue out a little and let them see. They'll giggle. That's fine.

Now count from 6 to 10 together, holding up fingers each time. Do it twice.

Then do the BIG one: count from 1 all the way to 10. Slowly. Then again, faster.

Block 3: Letter of the day — the numerals ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩ ١٠ (5 min)

Goal: Recognize the Arabic numerals (not the Western ones).

Script:

Say: "You know the numbers 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 — but in Arabic, they're written differently. Look!"

Write these big on the paper or board, left to right (yes — numerals go left-to-right even in Arabic):

Point out the funny ones:

• ٦ looks like our 7 (but it's 6!) — this trips kids up. Say it out loud: "٦ is six, not seven."
• ٧ looks like an upside-down V — that's seven.
• ١٠ is a 1 and a 0 — same as ours! Easy.

Stretch (heritage kids): Ask if they've seen these numbers on a license plate, a phone keypad in their grandparents' house, or in a WhatsApp message from teta. They probably have.

Practice writing: Have them copy ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩ ١٠ on the paper, once each.

Block 4: Play with it — Count the Beans Game (8 min)

Goal: Use the numbers to count real things.

Setup: Put the 10 small objects in a pile between you.

How to play:

Round 1 — You ask, child counts.

1. Say a number in Arabic: "سَبعة!" (seven)
2. The child counts out 7 beans into their hand, saying each number in Arabic as they go: waahed, itnayn, tlateh, arba‘a, khamseh, sitteh, sab‘a!
3. Put them back. You say another number. Repeat with 6, 8, 9, 10 in random order.

Round 2 — Switch. The child says a number in Arabic. You count out the beans. (If the child is shy about saying the word, let them point to the numeral on the paper — and you say it together.)

Round 3 — How many? Grab a handful of beans without counting. Plop them down. Together, count them in Arabic. "How many?" — "كم؟" (kam?)

Classroom variant: Pairs. One partner is the "caller" (says a number), the other is the "counter" (counts beans). Switch every 90 seconds. Walk around and listen for thmaniyeh — it's the hardest one.

Block 5: Tiny reading (3 min)

Goal: Read the numerals — match each one to its word.

Show the child this, and have them point and say:

Point to ٦ — they say sitteh. Point to ١٠ — they say ‘ashra. Mix it up. Be a little silly — point fast, point slow, point to the same one twice in a row.

(In the workbook page, this is the matching row — "I can match the number to the word.")

Block 6: Goodbye & try at home (2 min)

Goal: End warmly and seed home practice.

Script:

Say: "يَلّا، مع السَّلامة! عَدّينا لَعَشرة اليَوم!" (Yalla, ma‘ as-salaama! ‘addayna la-‘ashra al-yawm!) — "Okay, goodbye! We counted to ten today!"

Tonight at home (tell the child):

Count something tonight in Arabic — all the way to 10. Count the stairs as you go up to bed. Count the grapes on your plate. Count your fingers and your toes (that's 20 — but stop at 10!).

For parents: If they hesitate on thmaniyeh — say it with them. Don't correct, just join in. The word will come.

After this session

• Send home the Family Guide (one page).
• Send home the Vocabulary Cards (numerals + words).
• Workbook stays in folder/binder.
• Next session: Session 23 — How old are you? (كم عمرك؟) — putting the numbers to work.

Teacher / Parent observation notes (formative — not graded)

Watch for, this session:

No grading. No tests. Just notice and remember.

Yalla Arabic · Level 2 · Session 22 of 48