Chapter 1 — Finding the Furry Cat!

It is about positional words — words that describe where something is, such as above, below, on, under, inside, outside, before, and after. A poem about finding a furry cat, games, and activities help children learn these words.

The chapter opens with a song called 'Finding the Furry Cat!' in which a child looks for the cat on a window, under a bed, inside a backpack, above a hat, and below a mat.

The chapter teaches on, under, inside, outside, above, below, near, far, before, and after. Children meet these words through the cat poem, the train rhyme, and several picture and drawing activities.

Each child aims and throws a ball into a basket. When the ball goes inside the basket the other children say IN, and when it goes outside they say OUT. This makes inside and outside easy to understand through action.

Children look at the Indian National Flag and answer questions like which colour is at the top, which is below the white stripe, and where the Ashoka Chakra sits. This uses the positional words top, below, above, and middle in a real-world context.

The rhyme 'Chhuk Chhuk goes our Train!' describes bogies before and after a chosen bogie in the train. Children count how many bogies come before and after the red bogie and colour them.

Children hold each other's shoulders to form a train and sing a rhyme. Each child says who is before them and who is after them in the line, practising the words before and after in a playful way.

Children split into two teams. One team hides objects like white chalk or a red ball and gives verbal clues using positional words — for example, 'Look near the board and under the table.' The other team finds the objects.

Children see that Suwali has sorted leaves and chalk pieces into separate groups, and Rohit has put pebbles together. Children then help sort buttons in more than one way and arrange classroom objects on shelves using positional language.

Class 1 children learn best through movement and play. Songs let them hear and repeat positional words, while games like throwing a ball or forming a train let them experience inside/outside and before/after with their own bodies.

Children draw a smile below the nose and eyebrows above the eyes on a face outline. This simple drawing task links the positional words above and below to a familiar, everyday object.

After reciting the poem, children look at the pictures and choose the correct positional word for each scene — for example, deciding whether a red ball is above, under, or on the bed, or whether a cow is inside or outside a house.

The chapter builds spatial awareness and early mathematical language. Children learn to describe where objects are, follow and give directions using positional words, and sort objects into groups — all key foundations for later maths learning.

Yes. The teacher's note encourages children who have not travelled by train to ask questions and join the discussion about what a train is. Children can also draw a train or make one using boxes and cans, so no prior experience is needed.