Choose two numbers that make the total together
Addition to 10
Adding to 10 practice, from 6 + 1 to 4 + 3 + 1 = 8: two numbers first, then three or four numbers and balance sums, then mixed, with number bonds to 10.
Your child can start here once they can add and subtract to 5; the later exercises also need the number line and taking away within 10. This is where counting on fingers gets slow, and a child who already sees 7 as three short of 10 on the line finds 3 + 7 without counting it out.
Usually taught in Year 1 in England and Wales, around ages 5 to 6. Every child goes at their own pace; this is a guide, not a requirement.
The first of 22 exercises in this topic. See them all
What it looks like for your child
With one exercise from this topic as the example: Work it out.
1
2
3
4
How it fits together
The arrows point to what can be done next. Whatever sits inside a box belongs to it.
Addition
Addition to 10
Two numbers to 10
More numbers and balance to 10
+1 more
All together
first this, then that belongs to
Two numbers to 10
The number that comes next: after 6 comes 7.
Start at the bigger number and count on: 6 + 3 → 7, 8, 9.
Know the pairs that make ten — 1 and 9, 2 and 8, 3 and 7 — and you see it at once.
Count on from the number that is there: 6 + ? = 9 → 7, 8, 9, so 3.
- Plus and minus: fill in — on the Subtraction to 10 page
More numbers and balance to 10
Look for numbers that make a round number together first, like 7 + 3.
Work out one side, then make the other side the same.
Work out what is already there first, then see how much is missing.
Against the clock: how many can your child do in sixty seconds?
Look for numbers that make a round number together first, like 7 + 3.
One minute, as many sums as possible. Not needed to move on, but good for getting quicker.
Work out what is already there first, then see how much is missing.
Left to right, one step at a time.
Work out one side, then make the other side the same.
Mixed to 10
The same sum as 6 + 3 = 9, but ten times bigger: 60 + 30 = 90.
One minute, as many sums as possible. Not needed to move on, but good for getting quicker.
The same sum as 6 + 3 = 9, but a hundred times bigger: 600 + 300 = 900.
Just like 3 + 7 = 10, but ten times bigger: 30 + 70 = 100.
The same sum as 6 + 3 = 9, but a thousand times bigger: 6000 + 3000 = 9000.
Just like 3 + 7 = 10, but a hundred times bigger: 300 + 700 = 1000.
Just like 3 + 7 = 10, but a thousand times bigger: 3000 + 7000 = 10000.
All together
Everything in this topic in one round of 50 sums.
- Plus and minus — on the Subtraction to 10 page
- Plus and minus: big round — on the Subtraction to 10 page
- Quick: plus and minus — on the Subtraction to 10 page
Why it matters
To 5, it was about the first small sums. To 10, the number of sums doubles, and this is where counting on fingers starts to get slow. The most important thing to come out of this step is the number bonds to 10, because everything that crosses ten will lean on them.
Also new are sums with three or four numbers, and the balance, where there is something on both sides of the equals sign. Your child also discovers that 3 + 6 and 300 + 600 are the same sum on a different scale. That idea makes big numbers a lot less frightening.
How to approach it
Round numbers are easy to explain with money. Four £10 notes and three £10 notes make seven notes, so £70. With £100 it works exactly the same way. Your child sees that the maths doesn't change, only what is being counted.
For the balance, a set of scales is the best picture: what is on the left has to be on the right as well. A few marbles or blocks on the table make it something to touch. Put five on the left and three on the right, and ask how many more the right side needs. That turns the balance into a game rather than a puzzle.
When is it secure?
All 10 right in one round, and no more than 40 seconds altogether. Around 4 seconds a sum shows your child is no longer counting.