What is on this worksheet
This sheet raises the ceiling to 20, and that one change introduces the step that actually matters in early addition: crossing over ten. A problem like 8 plus 5 cannot be solved on two hands, so a child has to move from counting to strategy. Twenty fresh problems generate on every visit, and many of them will land on that crossing point deliberately, because it is the skill worth practicing rather than a set of answers worth memorizing.
How to use it
Print this 20-problem addition sheet for sums up to 20. Tap Show answers before printing to make an answer key.
Three ways to practice
Use the make ten strategy
For 8 plus 5, borrow 2 from the 5 to turn the 8 into 10, then add the 3 that is left over to reach 13. Written out it looks slower, but a child who internalizes it stops counting one by one. This single strategy is the main reason sums to 20 are taught as a separate stage.
Spot the doubles and near doubles
Doubles such as 7 plus 7 and 9 plus 9 tend to be remembered easily. Once they are solid, near doubles come almost free: if 7 plus 7 is 14, then 7 plus 8 is just one more. Circle every double and near double on the sheet and answer those first.
Check with the opposite order
After finishing, have your child re-add a few problems with the numbers swapped, so 6 plus 9 becomes 9 plus 6. Getting the same answer both ways is a real check on the work, and it reinforces that order does not change a sum, which is the rule behind counting on from the larger number.
A tip worth knowing
Teach the make ten strategy: for 8 + 5, take 2 from 5 to make 10, then add the leftover 3 to get 13.
Printing this sheet
Press Print this sheet and the worksheet prints alone on a single portrait page, sized for US Letter or A4. Problems are laid out in two columns with a ruled answer line and enough space between rows for a pencil, rather than being squeezed together. Print with answers hidden for your child, then use Show answers and print once more if you want a key to mark against.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know my child is ready for sums to 20?
The signal is fluency rather than age. If sums within 10 come back quickly and without finger counting, this is the natural next step. If those smaller facts are still slow, more time on the addition to 10 sheet will make this one far less frustrating when you get to it.
What does crossing ten actually mean?
It means the answer passes from the single digits into the teens, as in 8 plus 5 making 13. Below ten a child can often count it out, but past ten that stops working and a strategy is needed. It is the point where addition shifts from counting to thinking, which is why it deserves its own practice.
How often should we use this worksheet?
Short and frequent beats long and occasional. Ten minutes several times a week does more than a long session once a week, because these facts are being moved into instant recall and that responds to repetition over time. Since each print is different, daily use never becomes the same sheet twice.