Bridges in Mathematics Kindergarten, Unit 3: Bikes Buggies & Shapes
In this unit, wheels, wagons, and strollers lead your child into shapes and first story problems. Kindergartners find circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles in things that roll, tell flat shapes from solid ones, and use words like above and next to. Little stories about riders getting on and off use the counting from the numbers-to-10 unit and lead into a fuller look at adding and subtracting next.
By Robert “Bobby” BarnettMath teacher, parent, and founder of Bobby’s Math Club
What is my child learning in Unit 3?
- Showing riders getting on or off with fingers, drawings, or acting out, and seeing that adding joins groups and subtracting takes some away. Learn more about showing addition in many ways: Showing addition in many ways · Learn more about showing subtraction in many ways
- Solving short stories, such as 3 kids on a bus and 2 more getting on, by acting them out to find how many in all. Learn more: Adding and subtracting story problems within 10
- Finding shapes in wheels, wagons, and signs, and saying where things are with words like above, below, beside, and next to. Learn more: Spotting shapes and saying where things are
- Naming circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles whether they are big, small, tilted, or turned upside down. Learn more: Naming shapes turned any which way
- Telling flat shapes, like a circle drawn on paper, from solid shapes, like a ball or a box you can hold. Learn more: Telling flat shapes from solid shapes
Sample questions to try together
These are real questions from our practice. Tap the speaker to hear one read aloud, or the light bulb for a hint, and talk about the answer together.
Question 1 of 3
Start at 7 and hop back 2. Where do you land?
- 2
- 9
- 5
How you can help
- Look for shapes on a walk or ride, such as round wheels, triangle signs, and rectangle windows, and ask your child to name each one and say where it is.
- Act out a bus story with stuffed animals on chairs, letting some get on and some get off, and ask how many riders are on the bus now.
- Collect a few things to hold, like a ball, a box, and a can, and trace around them on paper, then talk about which shapes are flat and which are solid.
Where kids can get stuck
- Calling a ball a circle or a box a square, using the flat name for a solid shape.
- Saying a triangle pointing down is not a triangle, because it does not look like the usual one.
- Adding the two numbers in every story, even when some riders got off the bus.
Practice makes perfect
Bobby's Math Club has practice problems that adapt to your child’s level, each with a detailed explanation and an easy-to-follow video, so your child can build confidence in these skills one step at a time.
Words your child will hear
- flat shape
- A shape that lies flat, like a square drawn on paper.
- solid shape
- A shape you can hold, like a ball or a box.
- circle
- A round, flat shape with no sides or corners.
- triangle
- A flat shape with 3 straight sides and 3 corners.
- rectangle
- A flat shape with 4 sides and 4 square corners.
- above
- Higher than something else, like a lamp above a table.
- beside
- Right at the side of something, like a cup beside a plate.
- add
- To put groups together to find how many in all.
- take away
- To remove some things from a group.
Ready to build your child’s confidence with shapes and story problems?
In Bobby's Math Club, your child practices these skills at just the right level, with a hint when they need one, a clear explanation after every question, and kid-friendly videos. Unlimited practice is free.
Join the club
Written by Robert “Bobby” Barnett
Bobby is an award-winning math teacher, the author of Meet Every Learner’s Needs, and the father of two elementary-school math learners. He uses Bobby’s Math Club with his own kids a few times every week. Learn more or contact Bobby.
Which math standards does Bridges in Mathematics Kindergarten Unit 3 cover?
Bridges in Mathematics Kindergarten Unit 3 covers these math standards. Each one links to what it means, sample questions, and teaching strategies.
For teachers: Unit names and order vary between editions and districts, so your school’s own materials have the exact sequence. Learn how Bobby's Math Club can help your students grow.