Year 1: Top, middle, bottom, above and below
Part of the Year 1 position and direction chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Top, middle, bottom, above and below
Where is it? We use position words to say where something is. Above means higher up. Below means lower down. The top is the highest place. The bottom is the lowest place. The middle is in between the top and the bottom.
Look at the shelves. The apple is on the top shelf. The ball is in the middle. The star is on the bottom shelf.
Key ideas
- Above means higher up.
- Below means lower down.
- The top is the highest place. The bottom is the lowest.
- Right above and right underneath mean the next shelf up or down.
Method. Count the shelves from the top. The middle shelf is shelf number 2.
- Count the shelves from the top. The top shelf is shelf number 1.shelf 1: heart, shelf 2: ball, shelf 3: apple
- Find the middle shelf. It is shelf number 2.middle shelf: ball
- Write the answer. ball
Check. There are 1 shapes above the ball and 1 below it. ✓
Watch out. Start counting from the top shelf, not from the bottom.
Method. The shape right underneath is on the next shelf down from the star.
- Find the star. Look for it on the shelves.star is on shelf 1
- Look at the shelf just below it. "Right underneath" means the very next shelf down.shelf 2: cube
- Write the answer. cube
Check. Look back up: the star is right above the cube. ✓
Watch out. Only look at the next shelf down. Shapes further down are not right underneath.
Method. Count the shelves below the cube, one at a time.
- Find the cube. Look for it on the shelves.cube is on shelf 1
- Count the shapes below it. Count each shape once. Do not count the shape you started with.star, apple
- Write the answer. 2
Check. Together with the cube, the shapes above it and below it make 3. ✓
Watch out. Count the shelves below the cube only. The shelves the other way do not count.
Watch out
Watch out: above does not mean the top shelf. A shape is above every shape on a lower shelf. Check which shelf each shape is on, and count the shelves from the top.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Stack three or four toys, cups or books on top of each other. Ask: “What is on the top? What is below the teddy? How many things are above the cup?” Then let your child point to each one.
Exercise 11A Above, below, top and bottom
Non-calculatorMethod. Count the shelves from the top. The top shelf is shelf number 1.
- Count the shelves from the top. The top shelf is shelf number 1.shelf 1: apple, shelf 2: ball, shelf 3: star
- Find the top shelf. It is shelf number 1.top shelf: apple
- Write the answer. apple
Check. There are 0 shapes above the apple and 2 below it. ✓
Watch out. Start counting from the top shelf, not from the bottom.
Method. Count the shelves from the top. The bottom shelf is shelf number 3.
- Count the shelves from the top. The top shelf is shelf number 1.shelf 1: star, shelf 2: cube, shelf 3: ball
- Find the bottom shelf. It is shelf number 3.bottom shelf: ball
- Write the answer. ball
Check. There are 2 shapes above the ball and 0 below it. ✓
Watch out. Start counting from the top shelf, not from the bottom.
Method. The shape right underneath is on the next shelf down from the apple.
- Find the apple. Look for it on the shelves.apple is on shelf 2
- Look at the shelf just below it. "Right underneath" means the very next shelf down.shelf 3: star
- Write the answer. star
Check. Look back up: the apple is right above the star. ✓
Watch out. Only look at the next shelf down. Shapes further down are not right underneath.
Method. The shape right above is on the next shelf up from the apple.
- Find the apple. Look for it on the shelves.apple is on shelf 3
- Look at the shelf just above it. "Right above" means the very next shelf up.shelf 2: star
- Write the answer. star
Check. Look down: the star is right above the apple, so the apple is right underneath. ✓
Watch out. Only look at the next shelf up. Shapes higher up are not right above.
Method. Count the shelves above the ball, one at a time.
- Find the ball. Look for it on the shelves.ball is on shelf 3
- Count the shapes above it. Count each shape once. Do not count the shape you started with.cube, star
- Write the answer. 2
Check. Together with the ball, the shapes above it and below it make 4. ✓
Watch out. Count the shelves above the ball only. The shelves the other way do not count.
Method. Count the shelves below the star, one at a time.
- Find the star. Look for it on the shelves.star is on shelf 2
- Count the shapes below it. Count each shape once. Do not count the shape you started with.apple, ball
- Write the answer. 2
Check. Together with the star, the shapes above it and below it make 4. ✓
Watch out. Count the shelves below the star only. The shelves the other way do not count.
Method. Count 2 shelfs up from the apple. Each shelf is one step.
- Find the apple. Start on its shelf.apple is on shelf 4
- Count 2 shelfs up. Move one shelf at a time, and do not count the start.shelf 4 → shelf 3 → shelf 2
- Write the answer. heart
Check. Count 2 shelfs back the other way from the heart to check you reach the apple. ✓
Watch out. Count the shelves you move past. Do not count the shelf you start on.
Method. Count the shelves from the top. The top shelf is shelf number 1.
- Count the shelves from the top. The top shelf is shelf number 1.shelf 1: star, shelf 2: ball, shelf 3: heart
- Find the top shelf. It is shelf number 1.top shelf: star
- Write the answer. star
Check. There are 0 shapes above the star and 2 below it. ✓
Watch out. Start counting from the top shelf, not from the bottom.
Method. Count the shelves from the top. The middle shelf is shelf number 2.
- Count the shelves from the top. The top shelf is shelf number 1.shelf 1: star, shelf 2: ball, shelf 3: heart
- Find the middle shelf. It is shelf number 2.middle shelf: ball
- Write the answer. ball
Check. There are 1 shapes above the ball and 1 below it. ✓
Watch out. Start counting from the top shelf, not from the bottom.
Method. Count the shelves from the top. The bottom shelf is shelf number 3.
- Count the shelves from the top. The top shelf is shelf number 1.shelf 1: star, shelf 2: ball, shelf 3: heart
- Find the bottom shelf. It is shelf number 3.bottom shelf: heart
- Write the answer. heart
Check. There are 2 shapes above the heart and 0 below it. ✓
Watch out. Start counting from the top shelf, not from the bottom.
Method. A shape on a higher shelf is above. Find both shapes and compare their shelves.
- Find the star and the ball. Look at which shelf each one is on.star: shelf 1, ball: shelf 3
- Compare the shelf numbers. A smaller shelf number is higher up.shelf 1 is higher than shelf 3
- Write the answer. The star is above the ball.
Check. Say it the other way round: the ball is below the star. ✓
Watch out. Higher up means above. Look at the shelves, not at how big the shapes are.
Method. Look at the shelves. The cube is on the top shelf. The apple is on the shelf below it.
- Look at the cube. The cube is on the top shelf.cube: shelf 1
- Look at the apple. The apple is on shelf 2, lower down than the cube.apple: shelf 2
- Decide who is right. Below means lower down, so the apple is below the cube.Sam is right. The apple is below the cube.
Check. The cube is above the apple, so the apple is below it. ✓
Watch out. Say which shape is higher up. The higher shape is above the lower one.
Method. Count 2 shelfs down from the cube. Each shelf is one step.
- Find the cube. Start on its shelf.cube is on shelf 1
- Count 2 shelfs down. Move one shelf at a time, and do not count the start.shelf 1 → shelf 2 → shelf 3
- Write the answer. ball
Check. Count 2 shelfs back the other way from the ball to check you reach the cube. ✓
Watch out. Count the shelves you move past. Do not count the shelf you start on.