Ink-saving
White cards with coloured borders and the animals in colour. For every animal rescued, your child colours in a star.
Download PDFAddition to 10
Adding within 10 is the first real calculating children do, at the start of Year 1 / Grade 1 and often already in Reception or Kindergarten. This free worksheet practises addition only, for example 3 + 4, 6 + 2 and 1 + 8, with every answer up to 10. Eight animals are stuck in the vines, and every right answer helps to set them free. Print it as a PDF, no sign-up needed.
Colouring version
Black and white for any printer. Once an animal is rescued, your child gets to colour it in.
Download PDFFree for home and the classroom. Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0, so feel free to print, copy and pass it on, just don't sell it. If you share the sheet online, please link to this page. CC BY-NC 4.0
How the worksheet works
- Each of the eight animals has three problems to work out and one gate problem, just like in the game: out of three answers, your child circles the right one.
- When all four problems are right, the animal is rescued: in the ink-saving version your child colours in its star, in the colouring version the whole animal.
- There is no answer key on purpose: check the answers together, for example with fingers, counters or by swapping the numbers (3 + 5 = 5 + 3).
Tricks for adding to 10
Plus one is the next number
6 + 1 = 78 + 1 = 9For plus 1, just say the next number, no counting needed.
Start with the bigger number
2 + 6 = 6 + 2 = 8Swap the numbers: from 6 it is only two more steps.
Doubles
2 + 2 = 43 + 3 = 65 + 5 = 10Children remember doubles quickly, also with the fingers of both hands.
Number bonds to 10
7 + 3 = 106 + 4 = 10Which two numbers make 10 together? They are the foundation for everything that follows.
Use 5 as a stepping stone
5 + 3 = 85 + 4 = 9Just like one hand: five and three more fingers make eight.
Near doubles
4 + 5 = 4 + 4 + 1 = 9When two numbers are neighbours, use the double and add one.
Common mistakes
- 4 + 3 = 6↔4 + 3 = 7
When counting on, the starting number gets counted too.
What helps: Start at 4 and only say “5” on the first step.
- 2 + 7 = 9
Starting with the small number and counting a long way: right, but slow.
What helps: Start with the big number: 7, then 8, 9.
- 1, 2, 3, …
Every problem gets counted on the fingers from 1.
What helps: Learn the doubles and the number bonds to 10 by heart, then lots of sums work without counting.
For teachers
The sheet fits the first weeks of Year 1 / Grade 1, the end of Reception or Kindergarten, or children who still need confidence with adding. The colouring version prints on any black-and-white photocopier.
Rather practise with a game?
In Number Jungle your child runs through the jungle and dashes through the gate with the right answer. The same problems, matched to their school year, with no ads and offline. Free for Android, iPhone and iPad.
More about the game →FAQ
Which year group is this worksheet for?
The start of Year 1 in the UK and Grade 1 in the US, and children in Reception or Kindergarten who already know the numbers to 10.
Is the worksheet really free?
Yes. It is free, with no sign-up and no email address. You may print and copy it for home and for the classroom.
Is there an answer key?
No, on purpose. Every problem is easy to check with fingers or counters. For the gate problems, the right answer is one of the choices anyway.
What is the difference between the two versions?
The ink-saving version has animals in colour and a star to colour in. The colouring version is completely black and white, and the rescued animal itself gets coloured in.
How can my child keep practising addition to 10?
Short, frequent practice helps most. For example with the free game Number Jungle: facts that are still wobbly come up more often until they stick.