What is on this worksheet
A number bond shows a whole with its two parts joined underneath, and this sheet gives you the whole and one part and asks for the other. Written as a diagram rather than a sum, it makes something visible that an equation hides: that eight plus two and ten take away eight are the same fact seen from different sides. Bonds to ten are the foundation the rest of mental arithmetic sits on, which is why they are worth drilling until they are instant.
How to use it
Print the sheet and write the missing number in the empty circle. The number at the top is the whole, and the two circles below it are the parts that make it.
Three ways to practice
Say it both ways
After filling a bond, have your child say the addition and the subtraction it contains. Six and four make ten, ten take away six leaves four. Two facts from one diagram, learned together.
Use ten fingers
Hold up the part that is given and count the fingers still down. It is the fastest route to the answer for a five year old and it makes the pair physical rather than abstract.
Find the pairs that are left
Once the sheet is done, ask which pairs making ten do not appear on it. Listing the missing ones needs the whole set in mind, which is the level of fluency to aim for.
A tip worth knowing
Ten frames, fingers and counters all work here. A child who says eight and two make ten without counting has the fact, and that is the whole aim of the sheet.
Printing this sheet
Frequently asked questions
What is a number bond?
It is a picture of how one number splits into two. The whole sits on top and the two parts below, joined by lines. It shows addition and subtraction as the same relationship rather than as separate operations.
Why bonds to ten specifically?
Because ten is the number our system is built on. A child who knows every pair making ten can bridge through it when adding larger numbers, which is the single most useful mental arithmetic strategy at this age.
Is counting on fingers a bad habit?
Not at kindergarten and first grade. Fingers are how the facts get built, and they fall away by themselves once recall is quicker. Removing them early usually slows a child down rather than speeding them up.