Addition Facts Practice
Practise the single-digit addition facts up to 20 — the foundation every later addition skill is built on.
Practice now
How the addition facts work
The addition facts are the small sums a child should eventually know rather than count out — everything from 2 + 3 up to 9 + 8. Once these are automatic, bigger addition (carrying, multi-digit) becomes far easier, because the child is recalling instead of finger-counting at every step.
A few strategies make them click faster:
- Make ten: for 8 + 5, take 2 from the 5 to make 8 into 10, then 10 + 3 = 13.
- Doubles: learn 6 + 6 = 12, 7 + 7 = 14, then use them — 6 + 7 is just 6 + 6 plus one.
- Count on from the bigger number: for 2 + 9, start at 9 and count on 2.
Worked examples
Tips & common mistakes
Keep sessions short and frequent — these facts stick through repetition, not long sittings. Let the strategies do the work at first; speed comes naturally as recall builds. The tap levels suit beginners, and the typed sprint is for when the facts are nearly automatic.
- Counting on fingers every single time — fine early, but nudge toward recall with the strategies above.
- The facts that cross ten (like 8 + 7) are the trickiest — the “make ten” trick is built for exactly these.
- Rushing the tap levels and mis-tapping — accuracy first, then speed.
Frequently asked questions
What grade are addition facts for?
They are the core of kindergarten through grade 2, and they stay worth practising whenever recall is shaky.
What does “within 20” mean?
Both numbers are single digits and the answer is 20 or less — the standard set of addition facts kids are expected to master.
What is the “make ten” strategy?
You break one number up to turn the other into 10, because adding to 10 is easy: 8 + 5 becomes 10 + 3.
How long should we practise?
A few sets of 10 a day. Frequent short practice builds recall far better than one long session.
When are the facts “fluent”?
When a child answers within a few seconds without counting. Keep using the typed sprint level to check.
Keep practising
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