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 number bond games for your class to try out.

What is a number bond?

Number bonds are pairs of numbers that make up a given number. As such, they are also known as ‘number pairs’.

Number Bond examples

So number bonds for the number 10, for example, are:

• 1 + 9
• 2 + 8
• 3 + 7
• 4 + 6
• 5 + 5

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 | Curious George: Museum of Tens

For fans of Curious George, young children can learn number bonds to 10 with their favourite cartoon monkey.

Follow him around the museum where each exhibit should have 10 items, but some are missing. Their job is to help George work out how many more they need to make up 10.

Try it out here.

3 | Dress your Monster

In this fun little interactive game, children get to dress their monster with various clothes and accessories.

But in order to do so they’ll need to answer number bonds questions up to 10.

Dress yours here.

Timed games

4 | Hit the Button

This quickfire Hit the Button game has a number of options for you to try including doubles, halves, times tables, division facts and square numbers, plus, of course, number bonds.

Even within number bonds you can select number bonds up to 10, 20 or 100, and then there are different challenges within those still.

With the basic number bonds to 10, children are given one number, and have to select the number that will pair up to make 10. They have a minute to get as many as possible.

Try out all these options here.

5 | 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.

6 | 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.

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.

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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