Same Math › Grades 1–6 › Tape diagrams
What is a tape diagram?
A tape diagram is a bar drawn to show the amounts in a word problem. It helps your child see what they know and what they're looking for before they decide whether to add, subtract, multiply or divide.
- The bracket shows the total: 15 in all.
- Each section is a part you know.
- The ? marks what you're solving for: 15 − 9 = 6.
Why schools teach it
It ends the keyword guessing
Many of us were taught to hunt for keywords: "more" means add, "left" means subtract. That breaks on problems like "Sam has 5 more stickers than Lee. Sam has 12. How many does Lee have?" The word is "more," but the answer is 12 − 5. Drawing the bars shows the real structure, so kids stop guessing.
The tape also grows with them. Equal sections become multiplication and division, a bar cut into fourths becomes fractions, and in 6th grade the standards name tape diagrams as a tool for ratios.
At the kitchen table
What to say, and what to skip
Say this
What do we know? What are we trying to find?
Who has more? So whose bar is longer?
Where does the question mark go?
Placing the ? is half the problem. Let them do it.Does your answer make sense with the picture?
Skip this
Look for the keyword. "More" means plus.
This is the exact habit the tape diagram replaces.Just call it x and solve.
Algebra comes later. The bar is the bridge to it.- Measuring bars with a ruler.Rough is fine. Bigger amounts get longer bars, that's all.
See it in action
A two-step word problem
Maya has 12 stickers. Leo has 5 more than Maya. How many stickers do they have together?
Draw Maya's bar and label it 12
Draw Leo's bar the same length, plus a piece for the 5 more
Read the answer off the picture
Leo: 12 + 5 = 17, together: 12 + 17 = 29
Without the drawing, many kids stop at 17. The picture shows there's a second step.
Free practice sheet
Make a tape diagram sheet
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Parents: tell your child's teacher about this guide
Parents also ask
Does it have to be drawn to scale?
No. Bigger amounts should get longer bars so the picture makes sense, but nobody measures.
Is this the same as the Singapore Math bar model?
Yes. Singapore Math calls it a bar model, Texas standards call it a strip diagram, and Common Core materials call it a tape diagram.
My child skips the drawing and still gets it right. Is that OK?
On easy problems, usually yes. Teachers often still ask for it on multi-step problems, because that's where the drawing catches mistakes.
When does it show up with fractions?
Around grades 3 to 5, when a bar is cut into equal parts to show fourths or thirds. Ratios follow in 6th grade.