Make 10 strategy

Learn the pairs that make 10, then use them to add bigger facts like 8 + 5. Practice for kids, help below.

🧒 Kids: find the pairs that make 10!

Learn the pairs. Then tap Practice!

▶ Practice ⏱️ 1-minute challenge 🫧 Make 10 Pop game

Pairs that make 10

  1. 1 + 9 = 10
  2. 2 + 8 = 10
  3. 3 + 7 = 10
  4. 4 + 6 = 10
  5. 5 + 5 = 10
  6. 6 + 4 = 10
  7. 7 + 3 = 10
  8. 8 + 2 = 10
  9. 9 + 1 = 10

💡 Trick: 8 + 5: 8 + 2 = 10, then 3 more = 13!

More facts: Within 5 · Counting on · Within 10 · Make 10 · Doubles · Within 20

For parents and teachers ↓

This part is for grown-ups: the trick that makes these facts easy, pictures to draw, what to say, common mistakes, questions with answers and a free worksheet.

The trick: fill the 10, then add the rest

Making 10 has two steps. First, children learn the nine pairs that add to 10, like 7 and 3. Then they use those pairs to add facts that go past 10. For 8 + 5, take 2 from the 5 to fill the 8 up to 10, and add the 3 left over: 13.

Patterns to spot

See it: pictures to draw with your child

Draw these on paper or a whiteboard. Seeing the counters makes the fact stick.

7 + 3 = 10: the 3 green counters fill the frame. 7 and 3 are a pair that makes 10.
8 + 5: 2 of the green counters fill the first frame to 10, and 3 spill into the next. 10 + 3 = 13.
56789101112131415+2+3
On a number line: hop 2 to reach 10, then hop 3 more. 8 + 5 = 13.

Facts you already know

Once the nine pairs are known, about 20 of the harder facts within 20 open up, all the ones like 9 + 4, 8 + 5 and 7 + 6 that cross 10. These are the facts most second graders find hardest, so this one strategy does a lot of work.

In real life: Look for tens everywhere: egg boxes, ten fingers, ten-rupee or ten-cent coins. Ask “how many more to make 10?” when your child has 7 stickers or 6 blocks.

Worked examples

Example 1: finding a pair

  1. “4 + ? = 10.”
  2. Put 4 counters on a ten frame.
  3. Count the empty boxes: 6.
  4. So the missing number is 6, and 4 and 6 are a pair that makes 10.

Example 2: 9 + 5

  1. 9 needs 1 more to make 10.
  2. Split the 5 into 1 and 4.
  3. Add the 1 to the 9 to make 10, then add the 4 left over: 10 + 4 = 14.
  4. So 9 + 5 = 14.

Example 3: 7 + 6

  1. 7 needs 3 more to make 10.
  2. Split the 6 into 3 and 3.
  3. 7 + 3 = 10, then 10 + 3 = 13.
  4. So 7 + 6 = 13.
  5. Your child can check with a near double: 6 + 6 + 1 = 13.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the leftover8 + 5: makes 10 and stops at 10.Fix: say both steps out loud: “2 to make 10, and 3 left over.”
Taking the wrong amount to make 108 + 5: takes 3 from the 5.Fix: ask “how many more does 8 need to make 10?” first. The answer, 2, is what you take.
Mixing up the pairsSays 6 and 3 make 10.Fix: check with a ten frame or fingers. 6 + 4 makes 10, so 6 + 3 is 9.

What to say to your child

A short script for your first session. Pause after each line and let your child answer.

  1. “Show me 7 fingers. How many are down?” (3.)
  2. “So 7 and 3 make…?” (10!)
  3. “Now 7 + 5. How many of the 5 do we need to make 10?” (3.)
  4. “And how many are left over?” (2.) “So 10 and 2 is…?” (12.)
  5. “Make 10 first, then add the rest.”

Questions to try (answers below)

Ask these out loud or write them down. The last one is a stretch.

  1. 6 + ? = 10
  2. 3 + ? = 10
  3. 1 + ? = 10
  4. 9 + 3
  5. 8 + 4
  6. 7 + 6
  7. 9 + 8
  8. There are 8 children on the slide. 5 more come. How many children?
  9. Stretch: 28 + 5 (make the next ten first)
Show the answers
  1. 4
  2. 7
  3. 9
  4. 12
  5. 12
  6. 13
  7. 17
  8. 13
  9. 33

Games to play at home

Ten-pin bowling

Set up 10 bottles. After a roll, count the fallen ones and say how many are left to make 10.

Make 10 Go Fish

Play Go Fish with number cards, but a pair is two cards that add to 10.

Hidden pairs

Put 10 coins on the table and hide some under your hand. Your child says how many are hiding.

A 5-day plan for make 10 strategy

Ten minutes a day is enough. Short, regular practice helps facts stick far better than one long session.

Next week, repeat the round in the practice tool and compare the fact map. When most facts are green, move on to the next page.

By grade

Kindergarten (K.OA.A.4) finds the number that makes 10 with any number from 1 to 9. Grade 1 (1.OA.C.6) uses making ten to add within 20, such as 8 + 6 = 8 + 2 + 4. In India, number pairs to 10 are part of class 1 and 2.

More for each grade: Kindergarten math; Grade 1 math and the CBSE class 1 maths guide.

What comes next

The same idea grows with your child. In grade 2, making the next ten helps with 2-digit sums: 47 + 5 = 47 + 3 + 2 = 52. In grade 3 it helps with mental maths and later with making 100. For now, practice the nine pairs, the number bonds to 10, until they come instantly, then use them on addition within 20.

Worksheet and more practice

Print a free worksheet with an answer key, or keep practicing online with the addition practice trainer.

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More: addition for kids · addition facts strategies · addition chart · number bonds

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Questions parents ask

What is the make 10 strategy?

A way to add by filling up to 10 first. For 8 + 5, take 2 from the 5 to make 10, then add the 3 left over: 13.

What are the pairs that make 10?

1 + 9, 2 + 8, 3 + 7, 4 + 6, 5 + 5 and their turn-arounds. Children often call them number bonds to 10.

Why is making 10 important?

Our numbers are built on tens. Making 10 helps with facts that cross 10 and later with adding bigger numbers like 38 + 5.

What grade learns making 10?

Kindergarten learns the pairs that make 10 (K.OA.A.4), and grade 1 uses them to add within 20 (1.OA.C.6).

How do I teach make 10 at home?

Start with a ten frame or fingers to learn the pairs, then show how 8 + 5 becomes 10 + 3. Five minutes a day is enough.