Number Bonds up to 10

A number bond is simply a pair of numbers that adds up to another number. "Getting" how numbers are made up is a crucial skill for children and provides a foundation for so much that comes after, particularly addition and subtraction, so a really good understanding of number bonds - and even some learning by rote of number bonds to 10 - can be very useful at this stage.

If you can help a child to understand that a number can be "broken into pieces" or "decomposed" in a variety of different ways, you are on the right track! Your ultimate aim is for the children to be able to recall all the number bonds to 10 easily and instantly.

Making a Start with Number Bonds

• Start with 5 - it's an easy one for the kids to grasp.
• Break it up! This is a really good introductory activity for starting to teach children the concept of number bonds.
  • Take a stack of small paper plates. Grab a collection of similar objects, such as counters, animals, snap cubes (or Lego bricks) - or cookies, if you dare. Give your child 5 objects and ask them to count them then to put them onto 2 plates.
  • Put that pair of plates together as a pair, and place 2 more plates below it. Give your child another 5 objects and ask them to count them, then find another way to put the object on the plates.
  • Repeat, with guidance if necessary, until you have 6 pairs of plates with 0 + 5, 5 + 0, 1 + 4, 4 + 1, 3 + 2 and 2 + 3 objects on them. (Note: some children will recognise that some of these pairs are in fact the same. If your child does, just remove the extra pairs and leave 3 in total).
  • Look at the pairs of plates and make number sentences like this:
    • 3 bricks and 2 bricks make 5 bricks altogether.
    • We can make 5 bricks by using 4 bricks and 1 brick.
    • So now we know that 1 and 4 make 5.
    • We can split 5 bricks into 5 on one plate and zero on the other plate. That means 5 and zero make five.
  • Discuss whether making 5 from 3 and 2 is the same as making 5 into 2 and 3.
  • Write out the number bonds for 5. You can use our blank Break It Up Number Bond Worksheets below.
  • When your child is happy with number bonds for 5, move on to another number with the same process.
• Make number bond bracelets. You will need pipe cleaners (chenille stems) and pony beads in assorted colours. Make one bracelet for each number from 3 to 10, using the same colour of bead for each individual number (and ideally a different colour for each number if possible). Thread the correct number of beads onto the pipe cleaner and then fix it into a circle by bending the ends over each other (you might want to cut a little off to make it manageable, but the kids won't wear these bracelets, just use them as manipulatives). Using a mailing label or something similar, fold it in half over the join so that it sticks to itself to form a tag and then write the number on it. Children can now "break" the beads up into different combinations to get a hands on experience of number bonds.
• Use printables. You can use our Break It Up printable or our I Can Make Number Bonds Mats with counters or other small objects to revise what you have learned. You will find them in the Resources section below

More Number Bond Ideas

• Use snap cubes (or Lego bricks) in two different colours. Build a tower of bricks using as many different combinations of the same 2 colours as possible. Start by building 6 towers for the number bonds of 5. Children could colour the different towers on our Number Bond Tower Posters and Number Bond Tower Worksheets from the Resources section below.
• Sit and stand. Grab 5 children - or your target number. Ask 1 child to sit. Make the number sentence: "1 child is sitting and 4 children are standing. How many children altogether?" Now ask another child to sit and change the sentence: "2 children are sitting and 3 children are standing. How many children altogether?" Work through until you have all 5 children sitting, then get them all standing up again. Each time encourage them to call out how many children there are altogether. Follow this activity by writing out the number bonds together.
• Ten Towers. Print out our blank Ten Towers (below) and cut them to the size of the number bond you are learning. Ask the children to colour in the Ten Tower in as many different combinations of two colours as possible.
• Mix and Match cards. Print out our (large) set of Mix and Match number bond cards and turn them in to double-sided flash cards following the instructions on that page. Use only the cards that relate to the number bonds as your child learns them. They can use the flash cards to test themselves by looking at the equation and saying the answer out loud or to themselves before turning the card over to see if they got it right. You could also encourage them to look for other number bonds for the same number.

Number Bonds to 10

• Aim for instant recall of the numbers bonds to 10.
• Ten Towers. Print out our blank Ten Towers (below) and ask the children to colour in the Ten Tower in as many different combinations of two colours as possible.
• Play Snap Challenge. At any random time during the day call out "Snap Challenge - Number Bonds to 10 - I give you 4!" Your child must quickly answer 6! Give 3 or 4 challenges at a time. Encourage your child to Snap Challenge you, too.
• Worksheets. You will find our Number Bonds to 10 worksheets from the Resources section below.

Our Number Bond Resources