Ten frames

One or two ten frames with red and yellow counters: tap to fill, see how many, how many more make ten, and the number sentence.

How to use it

Tap a square to put a counter in it, and tap it again to take it away. Press a number under Quick fill to fill that many squares.
Turn on Two colours to place red and yellow counters (pick the colour first), or choose Cycle colours to tap through empty, red and yellow.
Read the box at the side: it shows the total, how many red and yellow, how many more make ten, and the addition sentence when there are two colours.

Ideas for class

Show 7 red counters and ask how many more make 10. Add yellow counters until the frame is full, and read the sentence 7 + 3 = 10.
Flash a number on the frame for three seconds, hide it (press R), and ask how many students saw. Seeing groups of five builds subitizing.
Use two frames to show 8 + 6: fill the first frame with 8, put 2 of the 6 there to make ten, then the other 4 on the second frame, so 8 + 6 is 10 + 4.
Make every way to make 10 in two colours and write the number sentences on the board.
Show 5 on the top row only and ask what makes it easy to see (it is exactly one row).
Fill 12 on two frames, then take away 4 and ask how the frames help (ten, and two left over, take away 4).
Let partners take turns setting a number up and writing the missing part for their partner to find.

Questions

What is a ten frame for?

A ten frame is a 2 by 5 grid that makes ten easy to see. Because each row holds five, students learn to see numbers as groups (7 is a row of five and two more), which supports counting, adding within 20 and making ten.

Why are the red counters marked with a white ring?

So red and yellow can be told apart without relying on colour, for students who are colour blind and for black-and-white copies of a screenshot.

Can I show numbers above 10?

Yes. Switch to Two frames and fill up to 20. The box shows how many more make 20 once you pass 10.

What does Cycle colours do?

Each tap changes a square from empty to red to yellow to empty. It is the quickest way to build a two-colour picture such as 4 red and 6 yellow without choosing a colour first.

How are students' answers recorded?

They are not. Nothing is saved except your frame and tap settings in this browser.

Can it be used on a tablet?

Yes. Each square is a large target and works by touch, by mouse and by keyboard.

Nothing you do here is sent to us. Names, lists and settings stay in this browser. No sign-in, no ads.

Using ten frames in class

Ten frames are most useful for students in kindergarten to second grade. The aim is not counting each counter but recognising a pattern: students who see 8 as a full row of five and three more are already thinking in tens and ones.

Counting. Fill a number one counter at a time, in the order the frame suggests (the top row, then the bottom).
Subitizing. Show a number briefly, then hide it, and ask how many without counting.
Make ten. Show 6 and ask how many more to make 10. Use this to build the strategy of making a ten when adding.
Two frames. Move to teen numbers as one full frame and a few more.

Things to watch

Students counting every counter from one even when a full row of five is visible.
Confusing the order of filling: either row first is fine, but be consistent in a lesson.
Treating the sentence as the answer: ask students to say the picture first (“I can see six and four”) and only then the numbers.