Little Learners · Ages 5 to 7
Number Bonds to 10 Fill-in
Complete the number bonds that make 10, in both directions. Five levels of printable practice with answer keys.
The learning journey
Every activity is one step. Here is where this one fits.
- PlayLearn the idea in a game
- Practise(you are here)Lock it in on paper
- ReviewCome back and keep it sharp
- MasterTake on a harder challenge
- AchieveEarn a certificate
About Number Bonds to 10 Fill-in
Number bonds to ten are the single highest-return facts in primary maths. Almost every later mental strategy — bridging through ten, subtracting by counting up, adding three numbers by pairing to ten first — assumes a child can produce the partner of any number under ten without stopping to think. This worksheet drills that to fluency, and deliberately drills it in both directions. Half the questions ask for the missing part of an addition, and half present the same fact as a subtraction from ten, because a child who only ever meets the addition form often cannot use the bond when it appears inside a subtraction. Mixing the two on the same page is what makes the knowledge portable rather than tied to one layout. Twelve questions per page in two columns with room to write, and every bond in the family appears before any of them repeats, so no page is three copies of the same fact. The levels widen the range of numbers used. Every level prints as a clean A4 page in black and white and downloads with its own separate answer key. The matching on-screen game is Number Bond Rainbow Ten.
Common questions
- Why are subtraction questions on a number bonds worksheet?
- Because a child who only meets the addition form often cannot use the bond when it turns up inside a subtraction. Mixing both makes the fact portable.
- How many questions per page?
- Twelve, in two columns, with space to write.
- Will the same bond repeat on one page?
- Not until every bond in the family has appeared once.
- Why do number bonds to 10 matter so much?
- Bridging through ten, subtracting by counting up and pairing to ten all assume them. They are the highest-return facts in primary maths.
A hand for grown-ups
- Before you start
- Have something countable nearby. Being able to check "3 and 2 really is 5" by counting builds trust in the maths.
- While they work
- If a sum is hard, suggest counting on from the bigger number rather than counting both from one. It is a real strategy, not a crutch.
- Afterwards
- Try one together out loud, talking through how you worked it out. Hearing an adult think aloud is genuinely useful.
- Watch out for
- Counting both numbers from one every time. Nudge gently towards "start at the bigger one and count on".
- Away from the screen
- Add up small shopping items, or dots on two dice. Board games with dice are addition practice in disguise.
Where to go next
Chosen by the skills this activity practises.