Understand One More and One Less – One More Than Buses

Help children develop their understanding of one more than numbers with this fun and engaging bus-themed maths activity. Children are encouraged to look at the number of faces on each bus and draw one more face to find the next number. This practical activity provides a simple way for children to explore the concept of one more than, helping them connect quantities with numbers and recognise how a quantity changes when one is added. After drawing one more face, encourage children to use the sentence stem “One more than ___ is ___” to explain their mathematical thinking. This supports children in developing accurate mathematical language alongside their understanding of number. The activity is ideal for children in Early Years and KS1 and can be used as an independent maths task, small-group activity, intervention resource or part of continuous provision. The bus theme provides an engaging context for practising early number skills. Children can practise: Finding one more than a number Counting accurately Recognising numbers and quantities Adding one to a given number Developing early number sense Understanding how quantities change when one is added Using the mathematical language of “one more” Completing and saying a simple number sentence You can extend the learning into continuous provision by creating a bus using chairs. Ask children to pretend to travel on the bus, adding one more child each time. Encourage them to count the passengers and explain the new number using the sentence stem, such as “One more than 4 is 5.” This hands-on extension gives children an opportunity to apply their understanding of one more than in a real-life, playful context. It also encourages counting, turn-taking, communication and mathematical reasoning while reinforcing the connection between quantities and numerals.