Making 10 with ten frames (1 addend missing)

Before handing out the worksheet, briefly introduce the concept with a short oral warm-up or a visual model on the board. Encourage students to talk through their thinking as they work: "What strategy are you using? How do you know that is right?" After completing the worksheet, review any missed problems together and discuss the reasoning rather than just the answer. For extra support, let students use manipulatives or draw pictures alongside the written problems. These ten frames worksheets work well as daily practice, homework, or a focused review activity.

These ten frames worksheets for 1st grade give students the structured, hands-on practice they need to build confidence and fluency. Students work through a range of problem formats, from visual models and diagrams to written equations and word problems, so they encounter ten frames from every angle. Each worksheet is designed to build on prior knowledge while introducing the level of challenge appropriate for 1st grade. Practicing ten frames at this stage strengthens the mathematical foundations that support more advanced concepts in later grades.

This worksheet is designed for 1st Grade students (Ages 6-7), aligned to Common Core standard 1.NBT.B.2. It can also be used as review for early students at the next grade level or as an introduction for advanced students.

Yes. This worksheet works for homeschool, classroom, and tutoring settings. Print individual pages for targeted practice, or print the full set as a packet. Works great as a morning warm-up, independent center activity, or fast-finisher task.

A ten-frame is a rectangular grid with two rows of five boxes used to organize and count objects up to ten or twenty. First graders use ten-frames to develop place value understanding (CCSS 1.NBT.B.2) — seeing that numbers like 7 can be visualized as a full row of 5 and 2 more. Ten-frames support strategies like making ten for addition and subtraction.

Ten-frames make the 'make a ten' addition strategy visual and intuitive. For 8 + 5, a student fills one ten-frame to ten (needing 2 from the 5), leaving 3, so 8 + 5 = 10 + 3 = 13. This strategy aligns with CCSS 1.OA.C.6 and is one of the most powerful for building fluency within 20. Worksheets with blank ten-frames let students practice the strategy hands-on.

Double ten-frames (two side-by-side ten-frames) are typically introduced in first grade when students begin working with numbers 11-20 (CCSS 1.NBT.A.1). They help students see teen numbers as one group of ten plus some ones, which is fundamental to place value understanding. Worksheets that show partially filled double ten-frames and ask students to write the number reinforce this connection.