Making ten: the addition strategy, explained for parents
Making ten means filling up a ten before adding the rest. For 8 + 5, move 2 from the 5 to the 8 to make 10, and 3 is left: 8 + 5 = 10 + 3 = 13. The Common Core names it as a first-grade strategy for adding within 20.
Checked October 29, 2026 against the sources listed at the end.
How it works: 8 + 5
- Start with the bigger number: 8.
- How many more make 10? 2.
- Take 2 from the 5. That leaves 3.
- Now it's 10 + 3, which is 13.
Another: 9 + 6. Nine needs 1 to make ten; 6 − 1 = 5; 10 + 5 = 15.
Making ten in subtraction
It works backwards too, by going down to a ten first. For 13 − 4: take 3 to get to 10, then 1 more to get to 9. So 13 − 4 = 13 − 3 − 1 = 9. The Common Core lists this, decomposing a number leading to a ten, alongside making ten.
Why schools teach it
Kindergartners learn to find the number that makes 10 with any number from 1 to 9. First graders add and subtract within 20 using strategies such as counting on and making ten; the standards give the example 8 + 6 = 8 + 2 + 4 = 10 + 4 = 14. Second graders are expected to know all sums of two one-digit numbers from memory.
Making ten turns every addition fact from 11 to 18 into one the child already knows, ten plus something. It also sets up adding bigger numbers later, when children jump to the next ten on a number line.
First, the pairs that make ten
Making ten only works if the pairs that make ten are quick: 1 and 9, 2 and 8, 3 and 7, 4 and 6, 5 and 5. Our number bonds page has them all, with ways to practice.
Helping with homework
- Draw two ten frames (two rows of five boxes) on paper, and use coins, beans or cereal as counters.
- Use fingers: ten fingers is a ten frame you always have with you.
- Ask "how many more to make ten?" about everyday numbers: 7 forks on the table, how many more for 10?
- Once it's easy with counters, say it without them: "8 and 5. Eight needs two..."
- If your child's teacher uses different words or a different layout, use theirs. The point is that your child hears one way of explaining it, not two competing ones; a quick note to the teacher asking "how do you want this shown?" is always welcome.
Try it
Fill the on-screen ten frames or use two-color counters, then print make 10 worksheets and addition within 20 worksheets.
Questions parents ask
Isn't it easier to just count on?
Counting on works for small numbers, and the standards list it too. Making ten is faster and more reliable for facts like 8 + 7, and it's the base for adding two-digit numbers.
When should my child know these facts by heart?
The Common Core asks first graders to add and subtract within 10 fluently, and second graders to know all sums of two one-digit numbers from memory.
Practice at your child's level
Peabody, our site for children, has free stories and learning games written at each reading level and math grade, with no sign-up. Start where your child is comfortable, not where the calendar says.
- Start reading on Peabody Peabody asks your child's grade, starts the stories a little under it, and moves the level as books run easy or hard.
- Reading levels and math by grade Where each grade starts, and a page for every level and math path.
- The free library Stories sorted by level, to read on screen.
- Decodable readers Stories built from the sounds a beginning reader has been taught.
Where this comes from
Written for parents, to use alongside your child's teacher, not instead of them. General information only, not professional, medical or legal advice. Checked on October 29, 2026. Something wrong or out of date? Write to hello@peabody.kids.