Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Number Bond Bus Ride: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 1
- ForYear 1
- StageKey Stage 1
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Number Bond Bus Ride is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6), in Key Stage 1. Children start with an empty bus and find the total at each stop. They draw the people to help. It practises adding and subtracting within 20, and it needs only a pencil.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. There are two A4 pages. Page 1 is for the child. Page 2 is for the grown-up, with notes, help, a stretch idea and the answers.
What is on the sheet
Children fill in a bus table with four columns: Stop, On, Off and Total on the bus. Each total becomes the starting number for the next stop, so the story builds as they go. Below the table are numbered questions with space to answer. They cover empty seats on a bus, a missing number in a bond, and people hopping off. Children can draw people or dots to check.
- Stop
- On
- Off
- Total on the bus
- The bus has 20 seats. 15 seats are full. How many seats are empty?
- 7 + ___ = 10
- The bus has 12 people. 5 hop off. How many are left?
Worked example: a different bus story
A bus has 8 people on it. At the next stop 6 more people get on. How many people are on the bus now?
This example uses a different story from the sheet. It shows two ways children can work out a total.
Method 1: count on- Start with 8. Say it, but do not count it again.
- Count on 6 using fingers: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.
- Six fingers are up, so you have added 6.
- 8 needs 2 more to make 10. Take 2 from the 6.
- That leaves 4 from the 6.
- Now add: 10 + 4 = 14.
Ways to set up your own bus ride
Draw a bus
Draw a simple bus outline on scrap paper. Add windows big enough to draw a face in each one. Children can then add or rub out people as the bus moves.
Use counters as passengers
Put counters, buttons or small toys on the bus drawing. Move them on and off at each stop. Say the new total out loud each time.
Make stop signs
Write Stop 1, Stop 2 and so on on small cards. Place them in a line on the floor. Walk the bus from card to card.
Keep a running total
Write the total on a sticky note. Change the note at every stop. Children see that each total is the start of the next one.
Why use a bus for number bonds?
A number bond is a pair of numbers that add together to make a total. Children in Year 1 meet bonds first with small totals, then build up to bigger ones within 20. When children know their bonds well, they do not need to count every time. They can see a total and split it into parts. This is the start of fast, confident adding and subtracting.
A bus is a good setting because the story changes at every stop. People get on, people get off, and the number on the bus changes. Children can picture it, draw it and act it out. The same story shows adding and taking away as two sides of one idea. It also shows why each total becomes the start of the next stop.
Skills and curriculum link
- Adding within 20
- Subtracting within 20
- Number bonds
- Keeping a running total
- Drawing to check
- Reading number stories
Ideas that help with bonds and bus stories
- Parts and wholesA whole can be split into two parts. If you know the whole and one part, you can find the other part.
- Adding and taking away are linkedAdding and subtracting undo each other. A subtraction can be checked with an addition.
- Totals carry forwardThe answer at one stop is where the next stop begins. Always start from the number already on the bus.
- Pictures prove itDrawing people or dots turns a number into something you can see. Count the drawing to check the written answer.
Key words
- Number bondTwo numbers that add together to make a total.
- TotalHow many there are altogether.
- AddPut amounts together to find the total.
- SubtractTake an amount away to find how many are left.
- PassengerA person travelling on a bus.
- EmptyNothing is in it or on it. An empty seat has nobody sitting there.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for the child. Keep page 2 for yourself.
- Look at the bus table together. Point to each column and say what it means.
- Work down the table in order. Each total is the starting number for the next stop.
- Let your child draw people or dots to check each answer, then try the numbered questions.
- Check with the answers on page 2. Ask, "How did you work that out?" and come back another day to repeat it.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Give counters or small toys and act out each stop. Put the starting number on the bus, then add or take away one group at a time. Count what is left on the bus out loud. Do one stop at a time and praise each one.
To stretch confident children
Ask your child to invent a sixth stop with people on and off, then work out the new total. They could also write their own bus story for a friend to solve, and check each other's answers by drawing.
Make it a game
Act it out with chairs as a bus. One child is the driver and the others hop on and off. At each stop, the driver calls how many get on or off, and everyone works out the new total together.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child counts the starting number as the first count when counting on, so the answer is one too small.
Try thisSay the starting number first. Then put up a finger for each new number only. For 7 + 3, say 7, then 8, 9, 10 with three fingers.
Watch forA child adds when people hop off, so the total goes up instead of down.
Try thisAsk, "Are there more or fewer people on the bus now?" Circle the word off. Check that the new total is smaller.
Watch forA child starts again from zero at a new stop instead of using the last total.
Try thisPoint to the Total column. Say, "This is how many are on the bus when we arrive at the next stop." Start there.
Talk about it
- What do you think happens at the first stop?
- How could you check your answer without a sum?
- If more people get off than get on, what happens to the total?
- Which stop was the trickiest, and why?
- How many different ways can you show the same total with drawings?
- Can you tell me a bus story of your own?
Take it off the page
Chair bus
Line up chairs in twos. Take turns being driver and passengers. Call out people getting on and off and say the total each time.
Counter journey
Draw a road with stops on a big sheet of paper. Move a cup of counters along it, adding and removing counters at each stop.
Toy bus play
Use a toy bus or a box with toy people. Tell a story about a journey and count how many are on board at each stop.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first stop, then let them lead. Keep sessions short and relaxed. If they get stuck, ask them to draw the people on the bus. Praise their thinking, not only correct answers.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups, and the table shows who can carry a total forward.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider maths plan. It pairs well with outdoor play and everyday counting, such as people at a bus stop or seats at the table. Use it again for brothers and sisters or for revision.
Where this fits in children's learning
Before this sheet, children count objects, recognise numbers and add and subtract with small numbers using fingers, counters and pictures. They learn that a number can be made from two parts.
After this sheet, children move on to adding and subtracting with bigger numbers. In Year 2 they use number facts to work with tens and ones. Secure bonds make that step much smoother.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Number Bond Bus Ride for?
It is written for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6), in Key Stage 1. Confident children in Reception may enjoy it with help, and some children in Year 2 may find it useful for revision.
- What will children practise?
They practise adding and subtracting within 20, and number bonds. They track passengers on and off a bus, keeping a running total at each stop. Drawing people or dots helps them check their work.
- How do I use it?
Print both pages. Work down the table in order, because each total is the starting number for the next stop. Children draw people or dots to check, then try the numbered questions. Check with page 2.
- What if it feels too hard?
Give counters or small toys to act out each stop. Add and take away one group at a time. Do one stop at a time and come back to the rest another day. Page 2 has more help ideas.
- Is it free, and do I need colour?
Yes, it is free to print for home and classroom use. You do not need colour. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper, so it is cheap to use again.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
- Where are the answers?
They are on page 2, which is written for the grown-up. Keep it back until your child has finished page 1. The notes there also explain how to help and how to stretch.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.