Teaching number bonds to 10 can sometimes feel a little samey.

After all, there are only a small number of combinations. So why not let kids do something fun to either learn, or consolidate their learning of, number facts?

Here are a selection of free, easy-to-use online games for your class to try out.

The basics

1 | Ten Frame

This simple but handy game features a grid of 10 spaces which it fills with counters (or stars, apples or ladybirds) and asks either how many there are, or how many spaces are empty.

You can also advance onto the ‘build’ level where children have to insert the correct number of counters. Then there’s ‘fill’, where they are asked how many more counters are needed to complete the set of 10. And ‘add’ where you have two sets of 10 to fill with the correct number of counters, before adding the totals together.

Play it here.

2 | Ladybird Spot Totals

In this interactive bug-based game children have 10 halves of ladybirds on an interactive board which they need to move around and join together in the correct bonds.

The five left-sided ladybirds have one, two, three, four and five spots respectively, while the five right-sided ones have five, six, seven, eight and nine spots.

Try it out here.

Timed games

3 | Top of the Class

More mini-beast maths here with a bee-based game where you need to fill in the blanks by answering as many multiple choice questions as quickly as possible.

The more correct answers you get, the higher the bee gets to the top of the class. Take too long or answer incorrectly and he’ll go straight to the bottom.

See what the buzz is here.

4 | Make 10 Interactive Mad Maths Minutes

An even simpler version is this Mad Maths Minute (although you can set a longer timer if you like) where children need to answer as many number bonds to 10 sums as possible in 60 seconds.

There’s a help option which gives you a coloured 10 frame to offer visual aid, and you can check and print out your results too.

Try it here.

5 | I Can Recall All Number Bonds to 10

Another variant on the beat-the-clock system, but this one has the benefit of subtraction questions being thrown into the mix.

Get consecutive questions correct to boost your level, but beware, that makes the sums increase in difficulty.

Test yourself here.

Play with a pal

6 | Ghost Blasters II

Practice the sums of 10 (or for that matter any number from 5-99) with this ghoulish game for two players.

Children share a keyboard, one uses the Z key and the other the M, and as pairs of numbered ghosts appear on screen the first person to press their key if those numbers add up to 10 gets a point. But press incorrectly and you lose a point.

Play it here.

Advanced games

7 | Number Bonds to 10

A line of numbered balls is rolling its way towards a hole, and your job is to stop it. You do this by firing your own spheres to make number bonds of 10 and watch the disappear.

It’s brilliantly addictive working your way through the levels.

Try it here.

8 | Number Bonds II

Don’t be fooled by the straightforward title, this is one of those fun little puzzle games that you could play for hours.

The idea is to connect number bonds to 10 by clearing a path between them. Your line can bend once, twice or the balls can be next to each other (not diagonally).

Check it out here. Just remember to keep an eye on how long you’ve been playing.

Check out our other number bonds resources here.

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