First grade is an ideal time to introduce the concept of "more, less or the same." Students have to use their critical-thinking skills and counting skills to answer questions regarding quantities. To teach the concept effectively, you can introduce objects such as beans or pens into the lesson plan to help students visualize what more, less or the same looks look. You can create word problems where students have to determine the appropriate quantity. For example, "If Johnny has four apples and Sasha has two apples, who has the most apples?"
Students must learn how to use ordinal numbers. Understanding the order and placement of objects and events aids in critical thinking ability. Ordinal numbers are numbers that students are already familiar with, and their existing knowledge can be built upon by requesting they put events in a numbered sequence. For example, you can ask the students who came into the classroom first, second or third.
Even students as young as seven years old have a basic understanding of money. Teaching students the value of coins and dollars can be their first exposure to personal finance. Students can enjoy games where money is exchanged. Students must know what the value of a coin is, and be able to identify what a dime, nickel, quarter and dollar bill look like. They should also know how much each coin represents. Children enjoy role-playing and may benefit from a game in which they are required to purchase items with the currency they have been given. Children have to use critical thinking skills to determine if an item can be purchased based on the amount of money they possess.
Rounding makes numbers easier to work with. Showing students how to round numbers teaches them how to get and accept an answer that is close yet not exact. This form of abstract decision-making calls for quick judgment. Students must be able to determine whether a number should be rounded up or down.