Making Ten Worksheet | Printable Grade 1 Math

Mastering Number Bonds to 10

This Grade 1 math worksheet offers essential practice for mastering the foundational skill of making ten. Students will engage with problems using ten frames and number bonds to build fluency in decomposing numbers and recognizing pairs that sum to 10, a critical strategy for future addition and subtraction success.

At a Glance

• Grade: 1 (Also for K enrichment & G2 review) · Subject: Math
• Standard: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.C.6 — Use "making ten" as a strategy to add and subtract.
• Skill Focus: Making Ten, Decomposing Numbers, Number Bonds
• Format: 3 pages · 28 problems · Answer key included · PDF
• Best For: Independent practice, math centers, homework
• Time: 15–25 minutes

What's Inside

This three-page resource provides clear, focused practice. The first two pages feature 16 problems where students use visual ten frames to identify the missing addend that makes ten, solidifying the concept. The final page includes 12 number bond exercises to reinforce the part-part-whole relationship of ten in a more abstract format. A complete answer key is provided for quick grading or self-checking.

A Progression to Independence

The worksheet uses a deliberate progression based on the gradual release of responsibility model to build student confidence and conceptual understanding.

• Guided Practice: The first 8 problems on page one use filled ten frames, providing a strong visual scaffold for students to see how many more are needed to complete the set of ten.
• Supported Practice: The next 8 problems on page two continue with the ten frame model, reinforcing the visual strategy until it becomes automatic for students and they begin to internalize the number pairs.
• Independent Practice: The final 12 problems on page three remove the ten frame scaffold, challenging students to apply their knowledge using abstract number bonds to find the missing part of 10.

Standards Alignment

This worksheet aligns directly with Common Core standard CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.C.6, which emphasizes using 'making ten' as a strategy for addition and subtraction within 20. It provides targeted practice for this critical strategy. The activities also support kindergarten standard CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.OA.A.4 (finding the number that makes 10 when added to a given number). Both standard codes can be used for lesson plans, IEP goals, or curriculum mapping.

How to Use It

Ideal for use after direct instruction on the "making ten" strategy, this worksheet serves as excellent independent practice for math centers, homework, or formative assessment. Observe students for reliance on counting versus automatic recall of number pairs. Most students will complete the worksheet in 15 to 25 minutes.

Who It's For

This resource is perfect for first-grade students learning foundational addition strategies, advanced kindergarteners seeking a challenge, or second graders needing to solidify number sense to 10. To enhance understanding, pair with hands-on activities using two-color counters and a physical ten frame, supporting a concrete-to-pictorial-to-abstract connection.

Developing fluency with number combinations that make ten is a cornerstone of early numeracy, critical for future math success. This worksheet provides targeted practice aligned to CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.C.6. Its progression from concrete visuals (ten frames) to abstract models (number bonds) builds conceptual understanding and procedural fluency, enabling students to internalize 'friends of ten' for more complex operations.