Description
Help students build strong number sense as they explore combinations to 10 with hands-on Making 10 activities, addition games, ten frames, math centers, and assessments designed for Kindergarten and 1st grade.
Making 10 is more than memorizing addition facts.
Ten is an important benchmark students can use to reason about numbers. When students understand how 10 can be composed and decomposed, they begin seeing relationships they can use for addition, subtraction, place value, and future mental math.
This resource gives students repeated opportunities to build 10, practice combinations to 10, use ten frames and manipulatives, and explain the number relationships they notice.
A teacher-friendly Making 10 Learning Progression helps you choose the activities and practice that match what you notice in your students’ thinking. Use the activities during whole-group math, number talks, small groups, intervention, or independent math centers.
⭐ Making 10 Learning Progression
Activities are organized around three stages of student thinking:
BUILD 10
Students build, break apart, and represent 10 in different ways while beginning to see 10 as a whole made of smaller parts.
PRACTICE COMBINATIONS TO 10
Students get repeated practice with combinations that make 10 through familiar, low-prep games and routines.
MODEL & EXPLAIN RELATIONSHIPS
Students use ten frames, equations, manipulatives, and words to show and explain how two parts make 10.
The goal isn’t speed. It’s helping students see 10 as a structure they understand, trust, and can use flexibly.
🧮 Included in This Making 10 Resource
Teacher Support + Assessments
- Making 10 Learning Progression
- Teacher directions and instructional prompts
- Building 10 Quick Check
- Knowing Combinations to 10 Quick Check
- Modeling & Explaining 10 Quick Check
Making 10 Activities & Routines
- Build It with Cubes
- Shake & Spill
- Making 10 Hand Game
- Number Combinations
- Ten Flashing Fireflies activity
- Making 10 Hand Craftivity
Making 10 Games & Math Centers
- Making 10 Go Fish
- Making 10 Solitaire
- Roll & Make 10
- Flip & Add
- 4 in a Row
- Connect 4
Ten Frames, Number Cards & Math Tools
- 10 Frame Mats
- 20 Frame Mats
- Addition and subtraction equation options
- Combinations to 10 Cards
- Number combination recording pages
Additional Practice & Extensions
- Making 20 activities
- Number combination chains for 10, 15, and 20
- 10 Frame Song lyrics + video link
- Additional addition games and practice
👩🏫 Perfect For Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers can use these Making 10 activities for math centers, small-group math, number talks, intervention, whole-group lessons, morning work, or extra addition practice.
Students can use counters, connecting cubes, fingers, ten frames, and other visual models as they develop their understanding. The activities are designed to be reused as students become more confident recognizing and explaining combinations that make 10.
💡 Why Making 10 Matters
Students don’t need another stack of addition facts to memorize.
They need opportunities to see how numbers fit together.
Building a strong understanding of combinations to 10 gives students an important foundation for addition and subtraction fluency, number relationships, place value, and mental math strategies they’ll continue using as the numbers get bigger.
Structure first. Confidence follows.
✅ Download the preview for a closer look at the Making 10 activities, math games, assessments, and teacher support included in this resource!










Jennifer C. –
Such a great resource to strengthen our fluency with making 10.
Susan P. –
My students loved this! It is a great hands on activity! Thank you!
Marcia A. –
My students enjoyed the games and activities as they learned to make 10.
Dorothy K. –
My students love playing the games included in this resource. The games do require some preparation and are reusable. They are great practice for addition fluency to 10.
Meagan B. –
My students loved using this in centers to build their understanding of making 10. Highly recommend.
Denise B. –
I used this for small group math instruction. I love the cards!!
Michele S. –
This was a great resource to show students how they could create materials for mathematics for early elementary.
Diamond L. –
This was a great resource that I could use in small group.
Krissisissy –
Great resource to give you students some practice.
simply courtney –
Making 10 is crucial to the understanding of many different addition and subtraction strategies. Having a resource will multiple ways to practice and reinforce that is wonderful!
Caitlin R. –
So much fun and kepy my students very engaged!
Kristy B. –
My students loved using this resource! It was engaging and educational. I recommend it to others for classroom use.
Jennifer B. –
My students really enjoyed this craft after learning about ways to make ten. Thank you.
Simple Teacher Toolbox –
Every resource I have bought from this teacher has been wonderful!
Heather O. –
This is such a fantastic resource for my grade 1 students. A+
Elaine S. –
This resource was so easy to use and very engaging for my students!