Your child comes home with "well done" in their notebook, yet stops at the word "baab" in a storybook and counts on their fingers to add 8 and 5. The first semester was for letters and small numbers; the second asks them to read and calculate faster. This is where grade 1 worksheets PDF help, if they are used with a plan: a short daily review that closes gaps before they grow. In this article we summarise what a first-grade student learns in reading and maths, a home review routine for the second semester that starts in January, and the right number of worksheets each week.
Quick answer: A first-grade student in the second semester needs a 20-minute daily review: one reading page with harakat or a short story, and one maths page for addition and subtraction to 20 or telling time. Ten worksheets a week, Sunday to Thursday, are enough. Start with a quick check to know where to begin, and do not repeat what the child has mastered.
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What a child learns in first grade
Details vary between schools, but the general lines are similar in most schools in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.
Reading and writing
- The 28 letters in their forms, with fatha, damma, kasra and sukun.
- In the second semester, usually: long vowels, tanween and shadda, sun and moon letters, and reading short words and sentences.
- Writing: copying words and sentences, then short dictation.
Maths
- Numbers to 20, then extending towards 100, and comparing numbers.
- Addition and subtraction within 20, and short word problems.
- Shapes and measurement, and reading the clock to the hour and half hour in most cases.
English
Students in Saudi schools start learning English in first grade: letters, their sounds and a few frequent words. Knowing the most common words by sight makes reading English easier in the following years.
A quick check to know where to start
Before printing any sheet, sit with your child one evening for ten minutes and try these five questions. Do not correct during it; just note the results.
- Read 12 syllables with one letter: ba bu bi b baa buu bii ban bun bin... How many did they read without hesitation.
- Read five three-letter words such as "qalam" and "bahr". Did they sound them out or read them in one go.
- Read a three-word sentence. Did they understand it.
- Ten addition and subtraction facts within 10 in one minute. How many did they answer.
- Read a clock showing three o'clock, then half past three.
Where the child stumbled is your starting point. What they have mastered only needs a quick pass once a week.
A home review routine for the second semester
A 20-minute daily session
- Five minutes of reading aloud from the harakat page or the story.
- Ten minutes for the maths or clock worksheet.
- Five minutes for a small skill: English words, or days of the week and months.
It works best after rest and lunch and before school homework, or after homework with a half-hour break. Do not put it after dinner when the child is tired.
A weekly layout, Sunday to Thursday
| Day | Reading | Maths | Extra skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | A letter page with harakat | Addition on the number line or ten-frame | The new English word list |
| Monday | A short story and its questions | A clock page | Days of the week and months |
| Tuesday | A letter page with harakat | Subtraction or number bonds | English word flash cards |
| Wednesday | Three-letter words or sentences | Picture word problems | Hijri months |
| Thursday | Reread Monday's story | One-minute quiz, compared with last week | Free review |
That is about ten worksheets a week: five for reading and five for maths, plus cards or a short page for the extra skill.
The right worksheets for each part of the routine
- Reading Arabic with Harakat: one page per letter with 12 syllables always in the same order (short vowels, sukun, tanween, long vowels), then six vowel-focus pages, 32 three-letter words and 8 sentences. One page a day is enough.
- Arabic Mini Readers: ten short fully vowelled stories, five sentences each, with a question page and a colouring page. One story a week, read twice.
- Addition and Subtraction to 20: number line, ten-frames, number bonds and picture problems, plus four one-minute quizzes of 20 facts each. Print the quizzes more than once to compare every Thursday.
- Telling Time for Kids: from o'clock and half past to quarters and minutes, with a paper clock with movable hands. Start with o'clock and half past only in first grade.
- Days, Months and Seasons: weekdays, Gregorian and Hijri months, and the four seasons, with two blank calendars.
- 100 English Sight Words: 100 words in ten lists, with instructions in Arabic so a parent can follow along without an English background. One list a week.
A second-semester map from January to the end of the year
- Weeks 1 to 3: the quick-check results. Review the letters the child stumbled on, and addition within 10.
- Weeks 4 to 7: the six vowel-focus pages, long vowels and tanween, addition and subtraction within 20, and o'clock and half past.
- Ramadan 1448: falls roughly in February and March 2027. Shorten the session to 10 minutes, keep only reading and the one-minute quiz, and you can swap Thursday's session for an activity from the Free Library.
- After Eid to the end of the year: three-letter words, sentences and stories, picture word problems, Hijri and Gregorian months, then a full review before exams.
Common mistakes in home review
- Doubling the homework: if school homework is long one day, keep it to five minutes of reading.
- Interrupting reading: let the child finish the sentence, then correct one word only.
- Pressure in the one-minute quiz: compare the child with themselves last week, not with siblings or classmates.
- Staying with the easy pages: if the child has mastered a page three times, move on; extra repetition bores them.
- Printing too much at once: print one week's worksheets on Thursday evening on A4 paper.
If you have more than one child at different ages, you may also find the weekly plan for kids worksheets article useful.
Frequently asked questions
What does a first-grade student study in the second semester?
In reading, usually: long vowels, tanween, shadda, sun and moon letters and reading short sentences. In maths: addition and subtraction within 20, larger numbers, measurement and the clock. Details vary between schools, so check the teacher's weekly plan and choose worksheets that come a day before it or review it.
How many minutes should a first grader study at home?
Twenty to thirty minutes a day is usually enough, including school homework time. If homework is long, cut the extra review to five minutes of reading. Short regular sessions from Sunday to Thursday are more useful than one long session at the weekend.
How do I know if my child is behind in reading in first grade?
If by the middle of the second semester they cannot read syllables with short vowels without hesitation, or they read three-letter words letter by letter without blending them, they need a daily harakat review. Talk to the teacher to learn what she sees in class, and start with one letter page a day.
Should I print the worksheets or let my child do them on an iPad?
Printing is better for writing and maths in first grade because the child practises holding a pencil and laying out answers on paper. You can use an iPad with GoodNotes for reading and for redoing the one-minute quiz, keeping a clean copy of the file for reuse.
Start this week
- Run the quick check this evening and write down the result.
- Print week one's worksheets following the table and keep them in one folder.
- Fix the daily session time and put it on the fridge.
You will find these worksheets together in the Grade 1 Worksheets collection, and more activities in the Ages 6 to 8 collection.