CBC Projects for Grades 4 to 6: A Parent’s Guide

Last reviewed: 24 October 2026

In upper primary, Grades 4 to 6, CBC projects become more structured. Learners work across subjects such as Science and Technology, Agriculture, Creative Arts, Social Studies and languages. Grade 6 school-based assessments also contribute to KPSEA, so these projects matter. This guide explains common project types and how parents can help.

On this page

1. How Grade 4–6 projects count
2. Common project types
3. A step-by-step approach
4. Example: a sack garden
5. Example: a heat conduction test
6. What parents should avoid
7. Supporting different learners
8. Linking to KPSEA

How Grade 4–6 projects count

KPSEA results combine the Grade 6 national assessment with school-based assessments done in Grades 4, 5 and 6. KNEC provides SBA tasks to schools, and teachers record learners’ performance levels. Your child’s day-to-day projects build the skills that these tasks test.

Common project types

• Agriculture: a kitchen garden, sack garden or container garden; composting; caring for a small animal.
• Science and Technology: making a simple water filter, a model of the digestive system, a weather chart, or testing which materials conduct heat.
• Creative Arts: drawing, weaving, modelling with clay, composing a song or performing a short play.
• Social Studies: mapping the neighbourhood, interviewing elders about local history, or a family tree.
• Languages: a class magazine, poems, reading logs or oral presentations in English and Kiswahili.

A step-by-step approach

1. Read the task together. What is the question? What does the teacher want to see?
2. Plan. List materials, steps and a simple timetable. Write the plan in the learner’s own words.
3. Gather materials. Use bottles, cartons, sticks, soil, seeds and scraps from home.
4. Do and record. Take photos or keep a short diary with dates.
5. Reflect. What worked? What would they change? This shows understanding.
6. Present. Practise explaining the project in two or three minutes.

Example: a sack garden

Your child fills an old sack with soil and manure, plants sukuma wiki seedlings in holes cut in the sides, waters them and records growth weekly. They then report what they learned about soil, water and sunlight. Total cost: a few seedlings.

Example: a heat conduction test

For Science and Technology, your child can test which spoon gets warm fastest in a cup of hot water: metal, plastic or wood. They predict the result, carry out the test safely with an adult nearby, record the time it takes each spoon to feel warm, and explain why metals conduct heat better. The project teaches fair testing, recording and drawing conclusions, which are the same skills SBA tasks look for.

What parents should avoid

• Doing the work for the child.
• Buying ready-made models.
• Spending large sums on materials; talk to the teacher if costs are high.

Supporting different learners

Some children love hands-on work; others prefer writing or speaking. Encourage your child’s strengths while building confidence in weaker areas. Learners with special needs may need adapted tasks; ask the school. Our SNE directory will list checked providers.

Linking to KPSEA

Ask the teacher which Grade 6 tasks count towards KPSEA and when they happen.

Read our KPSEA and KJSEA results analysis for how national results are reported.

Back to the projects and assessment hub.

Sources

• KNEC, KPSEA framework and school-based assessment guidelines
• KICD, upper primary curriculum designs (Grades 4–6)

CBC Guides is independent and is not approved by KICD or KNEC.