Ten frames (free printable, six to a page)

About this sheet

A ten frame turns a number into a picture: five on the top row, the rest on the bottom, and the empty squares show how far it is to ten. That picture is what lets a child see that eight is two away from ten, and that seven and three belong together. These frames are drawn at counter size, with squares large enough for a two-color counter, a bingo chip or a dry-erase dot, and a line beneath each for the number. Print them on card stock and laminate for a set that lasts, or put a sheet in a plastic sleeve and use a marker. The same page serves number sense in kindergarten, addition and subtraction facts in first grade, and mental math later.

Grades: Pre-K to 2. Best in: August, September, October.

How to use it

1. Print on card stock or plain paper. For a lasting set, laminate it, or slide a sheet into a clear sleeve and write with a dry-erase marker.
2. Call a number, such as seven, and have children put that many counters in the frame, filling the top row first, left to right.
3. Ask the questions that build number sense: how many more to make ten, and how many empty squares are there?

Five ideas for class

1. Flash a frame with some counters for two seconds and ask how many. Seeing five and some more teaches children to see numbers without counting by ones.
2. Use two colors of counters and ask for all the ways to make seven. The bottom row shows the pairs, and the frame shows each fact.
3. Fill a frame with a number and write the number sentence below it, such as 6 + 4 = 10. The line is there for the sentence as well as the number.
4. Play a partner game: one child covers a frame, the other says how many are hidden after seeing a quick glimpse.
5. Use blank frames as a recording sheet for a number talk, drawing dots to match each child's way of seeing the number.

Related

• Double ten frames
• Number bonds
• Blank hundreds grid
• Ten frames
• Two-colour counters