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Adding by Making Ten: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 1

  • ForYear 1
  • StageKey Stage 1
  • CostFree
  • FormatPrintable PDF
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Adding by Making Ten is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6). Children learn to make ten first, then add the rest. It takes about 15 minutes, needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and the answers.

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. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.

What is on the sheet

Children add two numbers by bridging through ten. Some questions show the first step for them: they see how to make 10, then add the part that is left. Other questions ask children to work out for themselves how much is needed to make 10, and then add the rest. Each question has space to write the answer.

  • 8 + 5. Make 10 first: 8 + 2 = 10. Then add 3 more. Answer?
  • 9 + 4. Make 10 first: 9 + 1 = 10. Then add 3 more. Answer?
  • 7 + 6. Make 10 first: 7 + 3 = 10. Then add 3 more. Answer?
  • 9 + 7. How much to make 10? Then add the rest.
  • 8 + 3. How much to make 10? Then add the rest.
  • 6 + 5. How much to make 10? Then add the rest.
  • 7 + 8. How much to make 10? Then add the rest.
  • 9 + 9. How much to make 10? Then add the rest.

A worked example

5 + 7. How many altogether?

This question is not on the sheet. It shows the idea with different numbers.

Method 1: use a ten frame
  1. Put 5 counters in the ten frame.
  2. Put 7 counters beside it.
  3. Move 5 of the 7 into the frame to fill it. The frame now shows 10.
  4. 2 counters are left outside. 10 and 2 make 12.
Method 2: use a number line
  1. Start at 5 on the number line.
  2. Jump 5 to land on 10.
  3. Jump the 2 that are left to land on 12.
12

Build the idea with objects

Draw a ten frame

Draw a rectangle on paper with two rows of five boxes. Children place a counter, button or coin in each box. It shows 10 clearly and lets them see how many empty boxes remain.

Use two colours

Use one colour of counter for the first number and another for the second. Moving the second colour into the empty boxes shows which part makes the ten and which part is left.

Say it aloud

Ask your child to say each step in a full sentence: "I need this many to make ten. I have this many left. Ten and the rest make the total." Saying it helps the steps stick.

Use real things

Try pasta shapes, building bricks or small toys. Real objects make the counting feel like play, and children can move them about as they think.

Why make ten?

Our number system is built around ten. Ten ones make one ten, and the next ten, twenty, follows the same pattern. That is why ten is such a helpful landmark. When a child can see how far a number is from ten, they can cross into the teens without counting every step. A ten frame, with two rows of five, shows this clearly.

Making ten is a strategy, not a trick. Children split the second number into two parts. One part fills the ten and the other part is what is left. The total does not change, because the two parts join back to make the number they started with. Children who know their number bonds to 10 find this quick, so keep practising those too.

Skills and curriculum link

  • Number bonds to 10
  • Bridging ten
  • Adding within 20
  • Splitting numbers
  • Mental maths strategies

Ideas for grown ups

  • Ten is a landmarkTen is an easy number to work with. Reaching it first gives children a secure place to stand before they add the rest.
  • Splitting keeps the totalWhen a number is split into two parts, the parts always join back to make the original number. Check this together after each split.
  • Number bonds do the workThe quicker a child knows their pairs that make 10, the easier this method feels. Short, regular bond practice is time well spent.
  • Order does not matterAdding in a different order gives the same total. If a child finds one way tricky, they can try swapping the two numbers and see which feels easier.

Key words

  • AddPut two amounts together to find the total.
  • TotalThe answer when you add. It is also called the sum.
  • Number bondTwo numbers that join to make another number. 5 and 5 are a number bond for 10.
  • Ten frameA box with two rows of five squares. It helps you see 10 and how many more are needed.
  • Bridge through tenAdd up to 10 first, then carry on past it with what is left.
  • SplitBreak a number into two smaller parts. The parts still add up to the same number.

How to use it

  1. Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
  2. Get a ten frame or 20 small objects ready, such as counters, buttons or coins.
  3. Work through the first question together. Ask your child to fill the ten first, then count what is left.
  4. Let your child try the rest alone. Ask, "How did you work that out?" The thinking matters as much as the answer.
  5. Check with page 2. Come back another day and try again. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.

Help, stretch and game ideas

If it feels too hard

Keep counters or a ten frame on the table. Let your child fill the frame with the first number, then move counters from the second number to fill the gaps. Count what is left over. Try a few questions at a time, and take a break if needed.

To stretch confident children

Try 19 + 4 and then 29 + 4. Ask what stays the same and what changes. Then ask your child to make up their own question that bridges a ten, and to explain each step to you.

Make it a game

Cover the ten. Draw a ten frame. One player picks a number card from 6 to 9 and fills that many squares. The other rolls a dice. Together, say how many fill the frame and how many are left over.

Mistakes to watch for

Watch forA child counts everything from one and does not use the ten.

Try thisGo back to the ten frame. Fill it first, then count only the counters left over. Say, "The ten is done. Now just the rest."

Watch forA child splits the second number into two parts that do not join back to make it.

Try thisAsk them to check by putting the two parts back together. Do they make the number they began with? Use counters to show it.

Watch forA child stops at 10 and forgets to add the part that is left.

Try thisAsk, "Is there anything left in your hand?" Keep the leftover counters visible until the final step is written down.

Talk about it

  • How do you know how many you need to make ten?
  • What is left after you have made ten?
  • Can you show me with counters how you worked that out?
  • Is there another way to find the same answer?
  • Which number bonds to 10 do you know by heart?
  • Which question was easiest, and why?

Take it off the page

Ten hunt

Hide ten small objects around a room. When your child finds some, ask how many more are still hidden to make ten. Count and check together.

Sock pairs

Lay out two rows of socks or toys and use them as a ten frame. Ask your child to fill the first row, then say how many more go in the second.

Shop and change

Play shop with ten pence pieces or pretend coins. Ask your child to make ten with the coins they have and say what extra they would still need.

Who it is for

Parents

Sit beside your child for the first question, then let them lead. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty. Keep a ten frame or small objects nearby, and praise the thinking as well as the answers.

Teachers

Use it as a starter, a plenary after teaching number bonds to 10, or an early finisher task. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups. It needs no preparation beyond printing.

Home educators

Pair it with everyday counting at home, such as laying the table or sorting toys. Short bursts work better than long sessions. The sheet is free to print again for brothers and sisters or for revision later.

Where this fits

Before this, children count objects, learn number bonds within 10 and practise counting on. Those early skills give them the confidence to add small numbers and to see how numbers fit together.

After this, children use the same idea to add across other tens, such as adding to numbers in the twenties. They also start to subtract by crossing a ten, and learn more ways to split and combine numbers within the addition and subtraction strand.

Questions parents and teachers ask

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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.

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