NCERT Joyful Mathematics, Class 1, textbook pages 64–71

How to teach Class 1 Maths Chapter 6, Vegetable Farm, at home

Adding and subtracting to 20, taught with things you already have at home: a 10-minute activity, a game for the week, a 5-day plan and the mistakes to watch for.

10 red, 10 white

NCERT Class 1 Maths Chapter 6 Vegetable Farm: what it teaches

The same ideas as Chapter 5 with bigger numbers. The tools are a bead string (ginladi) and a number strip for hopping, and the key trick is using 10 as a stepping stone.

Why it matters later. Adding and subtracting to 20 with a make-10 strategy is the bridge to two-digit sums in Class 2. A child who can do 8 + 5 as 8 + 2 + 3 is ready for 28 + 5.

See it: this chapter in pictures

12, then 13, 14, 15, 1612 + 4 on the bead string
Push across the first number, then count on the second.
78910111213141515 − 7: seven hops back to 8
Hopping back is taking away. Count the hops, not the start.
8 + 5= 8 + 2 + 3= 10 + 3 = 13
Make 10 first, then add what is left.

You need

  • a thread with 20 beads, 10 of one colour then 10 of another
  • chalk for a 1–20 strip on the floor
  • a basket of vegetables

Tonight’s 10 minutes

  1. Make the bead string together. Add 12 + 4 by pushing across 12, then counting on 4 more.
  2. Draw a 1–20 strip on the floor. Hopping forward is adding; hopping back is taking away.
  3. Show the make-10 trick: 8 + 5 is 8 + 2 (makes 10) + 3, so 13.
  4. Tell two-step stories with vegetables: 9 tomatoes, 4 sold, 6 more picked. How many now?

Words to use

  • count on
  • hop forward
  • hop back
  • make 10
  • how many more

Watch for

  • Counting the square they start on as a hop. Count the jumps, not the squares. Say “one” only when feet land.
  • Stories where the start is known and the end is known. “Had 14, now 6, how many given away?” Act it out with real things.

What it sounds like at home

A short example of the conversation. Your words will differ; the questions are what matter.

You8 + 5. How many does 8 need to make 10?

Your child2.

YouTake 2 out of the 5. What is left?

Your child3.

YouSo 10 and 3 is…

Your child13!

A game for this week: Hopscotch sums

  1. Chalk a 1 to 20 strip on the floor.
  2. Call out a starting number and a hop: “Start at 6, hop 7 forward.”
  3. Your child hops and says where they landed.
  4. Take turns. Add backward hops for subtraction.

A 5-day plan, 10 minutes a day

  1. Day 1Make a 20-bead string together.
  2. Day 2Add on the bead string by counting on.
  3. Day 3Floor strip: hops forward and back.
  4. Day 4Make-10 trick with 8 + 5, 9 + 4, 7 + 6.
  5. Day 5Two-step vegetable stories.

Everyday moments to practise

  • Market trip: 12 tomatoes and 5 more.
  • Bus stops: people getting on and off.
  • Pages read: 15 in the book, read 7, how many left?
  • Score in a game of carrom or cricket.

Quick check

Ask these at the end of the week. Tap to see the answer.

What is 9 + 4?

13.

What is 15 − 7?

8.

8 and how many make 15?

7.

Ready for the next chapter when your child…

  • Adds numbers to 20 by counting on or making 10.
  • Subtracts on a number strip by hopping back correctly.
  • Solves a “how many more” story by acting it out.

Activities, wording and illustrations are Mathify Kids’ own, following the topics of NCERT’s Joyful Mathematics (Class 1). See the full Class 1 parent guide for every chapter.

Questions parents ask

What is a ginladi?

A bead string, usually 20 beads in two colours of 10. Children push beads across to add and subtract, and the colours show groups of ten.

What is the make-10 strategy?

Split one number to fill up to 10 first. For 8 + 5, take 2 from the 5 to make 10, then add the remaining 3: 13.

My child gets off-by-one answers on the number line. Why?

They are counting the square they start on. Teach them to count jumps, saying “one” when their feet land.