What Grade 1 schemes of work are
Grade 1 is the start of lower primary, and teaching at this level is play-based, practical and integrated – learners build language, number and social skills through activity rather than through formal lessons. A scheme of work turns the KICD curriculum design for each learning area into a term-by-term, week-by-week plan: what to teach each week, the specific learning outcomes, suggested learning experiences, key inquiry questions, resources and assessment.
This page brings together the Grade 1 schemes of work for every learning area in one place. Each set comes in editable Word format, so you can adjust the weeks, dates and activities to fit your school's calendar and your class, and they are kept in line with the current school calendar and the latest KICD curriculum designs. Use the links below to open the schemes for the learning area you need, or the button at the bottom for the full Grade 1 set.
The Grade 1 learning areas
Under the CBC lower-primary timetable, Grade 1 covers a set of "Activities" learning areas – the naming reflects how integrated and practical the level is. KICD's latest curriculum review rationalised these areas, merging several creative subjects into Creative Activities and folding environmental, hygiene and nutrition learning into Environmental Activities. The learning areas below follow this current, rationalised structure.
Literacy Activities – early reading, writing and pre-literacy skills that underpin every other learning area. Grade 1 Literacy Activities schemes of work
English Language Activities – listening, speaking, early reading and writing in English. A dedicated version for learners with hearing impairment is also available. Grade 1 English schemes of work · English (Hearing Impairment)
Kiswahili Language Activities – listening, speaking and early literacy in Kiswahili (schools using Kenya Sign Language follow the KSL activities). Grade 1 Kiswahili schemes of work
Indigenous Language Activities – the learner's mother tongue or the language of the school's catchment area. Grade 1 Indigenous Languages schemes of work
Mathematical Activities – early number, pattern, measurement and shape through hands-on activity. Read our detailed Grade 1 Mathematics hub for what the schemes cover. Grade 1 Mathematics schemes of work hub
Environmental Activities – the learner's immediate environment, hygiene, nutrition, safety and care for surroundings. This is the current merged area, which brings together environmental learning with hygiene and nutrition. Grade 1 Environmental Activities schemes of work
Religious Education Activities – available as Christian Religious Education (CRE) or Islamic Religious Education (IRE), following the school's programme. Grade 1 CRE schemes of work · Grade 1 IRE schemes of work
Creative Activities – the current merged creative area covering art and craft, music, and movement in one integrated learning area. Grade 1 Creative Activities schemes of work
What every Grade 1 scheme of work contains
Whichever learning area you pick, each Grade 1 scheme is built the same way, from the KICD design for that area: the strands and sub-strands broken into weekly lessons, with specific learning outcomes, suggested learning experiences, key inquiry questions, learning resources and assessment. Because Grade 1 is activity-based, the schemes lean on songs, games, stories, real objects and group work rather than textbook exercises.
The schemes also mainstream the CBC core competencies – communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and imagination, citizenship, digital literacy, learning to learn, and self-efficacy – together with values and Pertinent and Contemporary Issues, woven into everyday activities rather than taught separately.
The Grade 1 week: 31 lessons
Grade 1 runs on the Lower Primary allocation of 31 lessons a week, set in the KICD Grade 1 curriculum designs.
| Learning area | Lessons per week |
|---|---|
| Indigenous Language Activities | 2 |
| Kiswahili Language Activities (or Kenya Sign Language Activities) | 4 |
| English Language Activities | 5 |
| Mathematical Activities | 5 |
| Religious Education Activities | 3 |
| Environmental Activities | 4 |
| Creative Activities | 7 |
| Pastoral / Religious Instruction Programme | 1 |
| Total | 31 |
Three of the eight learning areas are languages: the learner's indigenous language, Kiswahili (or KSL) and English, which together take 11 of the 31 lessons. For many children, learning in three languages is the biggest change from PP2.
Planning the first year of formal school in 2027
For a Grade 1 class, Term 1 2027 (4 January to 9 April, 14 weeks) is the first term of formal schooling, and it is the term to plan most patiently. Children arrive from PP2's short, play-based sessions into a full timetable, so the early weeks go into routines, attention and the building blocks of letters, sounds and numbers before the scheme's pace can fully apply. The length of Term 1 is an advantage here: it leaves room to settle a class without falling behind.
Term 2 (3 May to 30 July) runs 13 weeks and Term 3 (30 August to 5 November) only 10. Each scheme spreads its strands across the three terms with observation-based assessment built in; check its week numbers against the calendar before each term. Our Kenya School Calendar 2027 guide has every date.
Who this hub is for
- Grade 1 teachers: a scheme for every learning area in editable Word, built from the current KICD designs.
- Teachers moving up from pre-primary: a clear view of how the 31-lesson Grade 1 week differs from PP2's activity sessions.
- Trainee teachers and education students: the Lower Primary allocation in one table, and how a scheme carries a design across three terms of different lengths.
- Head teachers and curriculum leads: the full week for timetabling, including the three language areas.
- Anyone downloading on a teacher's behalf (at a cyber café or school office): confirm the grade, the learning area and the term. A Grade 1 Kiswahili Term 1 scheme is a different file from Term 2, and from PP2.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many learning areas are there in Grade 1? Eight: Indigenous Language, Kiswahili (or Kenya Sign Language), English, Mathematical, Religious Education, Environmental and Creative Activities, plus the Pastoral or Religious Instruction Programme. Together they make a 31-lesson week.
What are the Grade 1 Mathematics strands? Three, in the KICD Grade 1 Mathematics design: Numbers, Measurements and Geometry, across 150 lessons in the year. Our Grade 1 Mathematics schemes of work hub covers them in detail.
How long is each term for Grade 1 in 2027? Term 1 is 14 weeks (4 January to 9 April), Term 2 is 13 weeks (3 May to 30 July) and Term 3 is 10 weeks (30 August to 5 November).
Do the schemes follow a particular textbook? Some do. Alongside the general CBC-aligned schemes, the catalogue includes versions developed against specific KICD-approved coursebooks. Open the learning area's set and check the file titles.
Schemes of work for other grades
This page covers Grade 1. For every other grade from PP1 to Form 4, together with the 2027 term dates, start from our Schemes of Work by Grade & Term page.
Download the Grade 1 schemes of work (Editable Word)
The full Grade 1 schemes of work, for every learning area, are in our catalogue as editable Word files, kept in line with the current school calendar and the latest KICD curriculum designs. Use the button below for the complete Grade 1 set, or the learning-area links above to go straight to the subject you need.