My Family Members
Primary 1 · Social and Religious Studies
My Family Members
Lesson 2 of 4
10 min
Let's begin
Gatete turns to the last page of his exercise book. The teacher gave the class one job.
Draw your family. Draw a father, a mother and the children.
Gatete stops his pencil. Should he draw his grandmother too? Today you will learn the word that answers him.
Some words sound big. This one is easy.
A nuclear family is a father, a mother and their children.
Only those people. Nobody else.
In Kinyarwanda we call it umuryango muto, the small family.
Your grandmother is family. You love her.
Your aunt, your uncle and your cousins are family too.
They are not part of the nuclear family.
Careful! Many children pick grandparents and cousins here. That is the wrong answer.
Worked example
Keza draws her nuclear family.
Step 1 At the top she draws two people: her father and her mother.
Step 2 She joins them with one line. They are husband and wife.
Step 3 Below the line she draws the children: Keza and her two brothers.
Step 4 She counts: 2 parents and 3 children make 5 people.
Her tree is done. She sticks it on the wall at home.
Draw your own small tree at the back of your book.
Umuryango muto means the nuclear family. This short film is from REB and it is in Kinyarwanda. Watch it, then count the people in the family you see.
Tip
Father, mother, children. Stop
Say those three words, then close your mouth.
If you add grandmother or cousin, they are still your family. They are just not the nuclear one.
Do each one, then tap Show answer to check.
Who is in a nuclear family?
Answer: a father, a mother and their children.
Is your uncle in your nuclear family?
Answer: no. He is your family, but he is not in the nuclear family.
Habimana lives with his father, his mother and three sisters. How many people are in his nuclear family?
Answer: 6 people. 2 parents and 4 children, because Habimana is a child too.
Another name for a nuclear family is a ___ family.
Answer: small. A small family is the same thing.
Draw your nuclear family tree. Parents on top, children below.
Answer: your own tree. Show it to someone at home and name each person.
What you learned today
Quick check
Who is in a nuclear family?
