Hide and Seek: NCERT Class 1 English Story (Raindrops Chapter 9)

etmantra27 Jan 20207 min read

Every child knows the feeling of wanting to play when everyone else is busy. In this story, Moti finds a clever way to get his friends to play with him, and the ending is full of laughter and running.

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From the NCERT English book Raindrops for Class 1, chapter 9. NCERT’s newer Class 1 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Raindrops.

Watch: Hide and Seek

Play the video three or four times. The first time, just listen. Then point at the pictures, and from the third time, say the lines along with the video. Short, repeated listening is how CALP builds a child’s English.

What your child learns

Feeling words: hungry, tired, sleepy, sad
Saying what you are doing: 'I am eating', 'I am looking'
Asking politely: 'Will you play with me?'
Retelling a story in the right order

What the story is about

Moti wants to play, so he asks his friends one by one. Ronnie is hungry and wants to eat. Jimmy and Remy are sleeping in a basket; one is tired and the other is sleepy. Happy, in the pond in the garden, is busy looking for flies. Bunny is eating a carrot. Nobody can play, and Moti feels sad.

Then Moti finds a basket, turns it upside down and hides under it. Now all his friends search for him, but they cannot find him. At last Happy hops near the basket and steps on Moti's tail. Moti barks loudly, everyone finds him, and they all chase him round and round the garden.

New words, with Hindi meanings

hungry: wanting to eat food (हिंदी: भूखा)
tired: needing rest (हिंदी: थका हुआ)
basket: a box made of woven sticks or wire for keeping things (हिंदी: टोकरी)
barks: makes the sound a dog makes (हिंदी: भौंकता है)
pond: a small pool of water (हिंदी: तालाब)
upside down: turned over, with the top at the bottom (हिंदी: उल्टा)
search: to look carefully for something (हिंदी: ढूँढना)
chase: to run after someone to catch them (हिंदी: पीछा करना)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

Why did Ronnie not play with Moti?
What was Bunny doing?
Where did Moti hide, and how did his friends find him?
What games do you like to play with your friends?

Answers for parents

Ronnie was hungry and wanted to eat.
Bunny was eating a carrot.
Moti hid under an upside-down basket. Happy stepped on his tail, Moti barked, and then everyone knew where he was.
For example: I like to play hide-and-seek and catch with my friends.

Grammar corner: Saying what you are doing: I am + -ing

When we tell someone what we are doing right now, we say 'I am' and add -ing to the action word. Moti's friends use this to say why they are busy.

I am drawing a picture of Moti.
My sister is looking for her red ball.
We are running round the garden.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: Bunny is eating a ___.
Match each friend to the reason: Ronnie, Jimmy, Remy → tired / hungry / sleepy
Say aloud what you are doing now: 'I am ___ing.'

Answers: 1. carrot · 2. Ronnie is hungry, Jimmy is tired, Remy is sleepy. · 3. For example: I am sitting. I am reading a book.

Try this

Play hide-and-seek at home. One person hides under a bedsheet or behind a door, and the others search. When the seeker comes close, the hider can bark like Moti. Before you start, ask your child to tell you why each of Moti's friends was too busy to play.

Tip for parents

Ask in Hindi first: “मोती क्यों उदास था?” Then help your child answer in English: “Moti was sad.” Feeling words are easy to bridge: भूखा is hungry, थका हुआ is tired. If your child answers half in Hindi, repeat the full English sentence warmly and praise the try.

Questions parents ask

Who are the characters in Hide and Seek?

The main character is Moti. His friends are Ronnie, Jimmy, Remy, Happy and Bunny.

Where does Moti hide in the story?

He turns a basket upside down and hides under it. His friends find him when Happy steps on his tail and Moti barks.

Which NCERT book is Hide and Seek from?

Hide and Seek is Chapter 9 of Raindrops, NCERT's older English book for Class 1. The newer NCERT English books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

Learn every Class 1 lesson with CALP

Every lesson of Mridang, NCERT’s new book, with read-along videos, new words with Hindi meanings, and listen-and-say practice with a score, made for young children with a parent nearby. ₹999 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →