Number bonds to 10 practice
Number bonds to 10 are pairs of numbers that total 10. Start with one part, count on or use a ten frame to find the missing part: 6 needs 4 because 6 + 4 = 10.
If you are helping a child with homework, the aim is not only to recite the pairs. Children should recognise each pair quickly, explain how the two parts make the whole, and use the same fact in addition and subtraction.
The number bonds to 10
The complete pairs are 0 and 10, 1 and 9, 2 and 8, 3 and 7, 4 and 6, and 5 and 5. Reversing a pair gives the same total, so 4 + 6 and 6 + 4 are connected facts rather than two unrelated facts.
Ten is the whole and zero is the empty part.
One filled space leaves nine more spaces.
Two counters need eight more to fill a ten frame.
Count on seven steps from three to reach ten.
Four and six are complementary parts of ten.
Ten splits equally into two groups of five.
The method, step by step
- Identify the whole. For number bonds to 10, the whole is always 10.
- Show the known part. Put that many counters on a ten frame, draw the dots, or hold the number in your head.
- Find the empty part. Count the unfilled spaces or count on from the known number to 10.
- Say the complete fact. If the known part is 7, say “7 and 3 make 10”.
- Connect the subtraction. The same bond tells us that 10 - 7 = 3 and 10 - 3 = 7.
Worked example
Complete 8 + ? = 10
Place 8 counters on a ten frame. There are 2 empty spaces, so the missing part is 2.
Check: 8 + 2 = 10. The connected facts are 2 + 8 = 10, 10 - 8 = 2 and 10 - 2 = 8.
Answer: 2
How it is taught in school
In UK primary classrooms, number bonds are commonly introduced through concrete objects, pictures and then number sentences. A child may first move counters or cubes, then use a ten frame or part-whole model, and finally record 6 + 4 = 10. This concrete, pictorial and abstract sequence helps the child understand the relationship before relying on memory.
Teachers may ask children to “see the missing part”, “count on to 10” or use a part-whole model. Another method can reach the same answer, but at home it is best to begin with the representation the child recognises from school. That avoids making a secure idea feel like a new rule.
Common mistakes
- Counting the starting number twice. When counting on from 6, the next count is 7, not 6 again.
- Learning only one order. Practise both 3 + 7 and 7 + 3 so the relationship is flexible.
- Guessing without checking. Add the two parts or check the empty spaces on a ten frame.
- Moving to speed too soon. Accurate understanding comes before rapid recall.
How to practise at home
Keep practice short and calm. Show a number from 0 to 10 and ask, “What goes with this to make 10?” Use fingers, coins, buttons or a drawn ten frame if the answer is not yet automatic. Occasionally ask for all four connected addition and subtraction facts.
Number bonds support later work with mental addition, subtraction across 10 and place value. For example, knowing 7 + 3 = 10 helps a child solve 27 + 3 and later split 8 + 5 into 8 + 2 + 3.
Practise this every day
MathsDaily mixes number facts with age-appropriate arithmetic, shape and measure questions. Each daily set gives a clear tip, saves progress on the device and allows mistakes to be retried.
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