Year 1 Science: My legs, knees, feet and toes
Part of the Year 1 Science my body and my senses chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
My legs, knees, feet and toes
Your legs hold you up. You use them to stand, walk, run and jump. Each leg has a knee, which is the bendy part in the middle. Your knee bends when you sit down.
Your feet are at the bottom of your legs. Each foot has five toes. Count the toes on one foot, then on the other.
Key ideas
- You have two legs, and each leg has a knee.
- Your knees bend when you sit down.
- You have two feet. Each foot has five toes.
Key words. Knees means the bendy joints in the middle of your legs.
Method. Find the knees on the body picture. Each part has its own letter.
- Find the knees. The knees is the bendy joints in the middle of your legs.Look for the knees on the picture
- Read the letter next to it. Each part has one letter. Check you have the letter on this part.knees: letter J
- Write the answer. J
Check. Point to the knees with your finger. The letter by it is J. ✓
Watch out. Check that the letter is on the knees, not on a part next to it.
Method. Count the toes on one foot, one at a time.
- Look at one foot. Find each toe at the end of the foot.toes at the end
- Count the toes. Count each toe once.1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Write the answer. 5 toes
Check. Wiggle your toes one at a time. You should count five. ✓
Watch out. Count the big toe too. It is one of the five.
Method. Count the toes on each foot, then add the two numbers together.
- Count the toes on one foot. Each foot has five toes.5
- Count the toes on the other foot. The other foot also has five toes.5
- Add them together. Five and five make ten.5 + 5 = 10
- Write the answer. 10 toes
Check. Count all ten toes: 1, 2, 3 and so on up to 10. ✓
Watch out. Count both feet, not just one.
Watch out
Watch out: a foot has five toes, not three or four. Your knees bend, but they do not bend backwards. Do not stand on one leg near furniture or stairs. A grown-up should be close by.
Try it at home
Sit on a chair with both feet on the floor. Lift one foot, then wiggle its five toes. Then bend and straighten your knee three times. Ask a grown-up to watch and count with you.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to sit down slowly and say which knee bends. Count the toes on one foot together, then on the other. Keep balance activities safe, with a grown-up next to them.
Exercise 6C Legs, knees, feet and toes
Key words. Legs means the two parts you stand and walk on.
Method. Find the legs on the body picture. Each part has its own letter.
- Find the legs. The legs is the two parts you stand and walk on.Look for the legs on the picture
- Read the letter next to it. Each part has one letter. Check you have the letter on this part.legs: letter I
- Write the answer. I
Check. Point to the legs with your finger. The letter by it is I. ✓
Watch out. Check that the letter is on the legs, not on a part next to it.
Key words. Knees means the bendy joints in the middle of your legs.
Method. Find the knees on the body picture. Each part has its own letter.
- Find the knees. The knees is the bendy joints in the middle of your legs.Look for the knees on the picture
- Read the letter next to it. Each part has one letter. Check you have the letter on this part.knees: letter J
- Write the answer. J
Check. Point to the knees with your finger. The letter by it is J. ✓
Watch out. Check that the letter is on the knees, not on a part next to it.
Key words. Feet means the two parts at the bottom of your legs.
Method. Find the feet on the body picture. Each part has its own letter.
- Find the feet. The feet is the two parts at the bottom of your legs.Look for the feet on the picture
- Read the letter next to it. Each part has one letter. Check you have the letter on this part.feet: letter K
- Write the answer. K
Check. Point to the feet with your finger. The letter by it is K. ✓
Watch out. Check that the letter is on the feet, not on a part next to it.
Key words. Toes means the five small parts at the end of each foot.
Method. Find the toes on the body picture. Each part has its own letter.
- Find the toes. The toes is the five small parts at the end of each foot.Look for the toes on the picture
- Read the letter next to it. Each part has one letter. Check you have the letter on this part.toes: letter L
- Write the answer. L
Check. Point to the toes with your finger. The letter by it is L. ✓
Watch out. Check that the letter is on the toes, not on a part next to it.
Key words. To count is to say one number for each thing, in order: 1, 2, 3, and so on.
Method. Count each one once. The last number you say is how many there are.
- Count each one and say its number. Point to each one once, so you do not miss any.1, 2
- Look at the last number. The last number tells you how many there are altogether.The last number is 2.
- Write the answer. There are 2 legs.
Check. Count again from the other end. You get 2 again. ✓
Watch out. Point to each one only once. If you move it, you can keep your place.
Key words. To count is to say one number for each thing, in order: 1, 2, 3, and so on.
Method. Count each one once. The last number you say is how many there are.
- Count each one and say its number. Point to each one once, so you do not miss any.1, 2
- Look at the last number. The last number tells you how many there are altogether.The last number is 2.
- Write the answer. There are 2 feet.
Check. Count again from the other end. You get 2 again. ✓
Watch out. Point to each one only once. If you move it, you can keep your place.
Key words. To count is to say one number for each thing, in order: 1, 2, 3, and so on.
Method. Count each one once. The last number you say is how many there are.
- Count each one and say its number. Point to each one once, so you do not miss any.1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Look at the last number. The last number tells you how many there are altogether.The last number is 5.
- Write the answer. There are 5 toes on one foot.
Check. Count again from the other end. You get 5 again. ✓
Watch out. Point to each one only once. If you move it, you can keep your place.
Method. Count the toes on each foot, then add the two numbers.
- Count the toes on one foot. Each foot has five toes.5
- Count the toes on the other foot. The second foot has five toes too.5
- Add them together. Add the two feet.5 + 5 = 10
- Write the answer. 10
Check. Count from 1 to 10, one for each toe. ✓
Watch out. Count both feet, so you get the total.
Method. Count the fingers and the toes, then add them together.
- Count the fingers. You have ten fingers, five on each hand.10 fingers
- Count the toes. You have ten toes, five on each foot.10 toes
- Add them together. Ten fingers and ten toes make 20 altogether.10 + 10 = 20
- Write the answer. 20
Check. Count everything again, one at a time, from 1 to 20. ✓
Watch out. Count the fingers and the toes, not only one of them.
Method. Think about which body part bends when you sit down.
- Think about sitting on a chair. Your legs bend when you sit down.legs bend
- Find the bendy part of the leg. The knees are the bendy parts of your legs.knees
- Write the answer. knees
Check. Sit down slowly. You can feel your knees bend. ✓
Watch out. Your knees bend. Your ankles and toes are not the answer here.
Method. Think about what each body part does.
- Think about holding things. Arms, hands and fingers help us hold things.hold: arms, hands, fingers
- Think about walking and standing. Legs, feet and toes help us stand and walk.walk: legs, feet, toes
- Write the sort. Hold: arms, hands, fingers. Walk: legs, feet, toes.
Check. Check each part is in one group only. ✓
Watch out. Some parts help with both jobs, but sort each one by its main job.
Method. Count the toes on one foot yourself.
- Look at one foot. Count each toe once.1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Compare with what Sam said. Sam said three. We counted five.Sam: 3. Count: 5.
- Write the answer. No. Each foot has five toes.
Check. Count the toes on the other foot as well. Five again. ✓
Watch out. Count every toe, including the small ones at the side.
Method. Think about what your legs and feet do when you stand on one leg.
- Think about standing. Standing on one leg needs balance.balance
- Predict what happens. Most people can stand on one leg for a short time, then they wobble.Wobble after a while
- Plan a test. Stand on one leg next to a grown-up for 10 seconds. Then swap legs and count again.Test: 10 seconds on each leg
Check. Did you wobble? Did you use the other leg to balance? ✓
Watch out. Stand near a wall or a chair, with a grown-up close by.