Guide · tools
How to Use Ten-Frames: One Simple Tool, Many Facts
A ten-frame is a grid of ten squares, in two rows of five, that holds counters. It shows a number's relationship to 5 and 10 at a glance: 7 is a full row and 2 more, and it's 3 short of 10. That's why it's such a good tool for pairs that make 10 and for sums that cross 10.
Start with quick looks
Fill the top row first, then the bottom. Flash a frame for two seconds and ask how many, and then ask how they knew. You want answers like a full row and two more, not counting. Then ask how many empty squares? Children soon start to see 7 and 3 together. Draw your own with a marker on card, or print our ten-frame sums. Any small things work as counters: buttons, beans or cereal.
Adding with one or two frames
For sums to 10, use two colors on one frame: 4 red and 3 yellow. The colors keep the two parts visible, and the total is still easy to see. For sums past 10, use two frames, and slide counters across to fill the first. Each fact page on this site shows this picture with its own numbers, and our Ten-Frame Shop game asks children to read frames quickly.
Subtracting on a frame
Fill the frame with the starting number, and take counters away from the end, crossing them out if you're drawing. 10 − 4 is a full frame with four crossed out. For 13 − 5, take the 3 extras first and then 2 from the full frame. This is the same stop-at-10 thinking from teaching subtraction, only easier to see. See it on 13 − 5.
How to do it with Sumtown
- Print a ten-frame sheet, or look at one on a fact page.
- Play the make 10 game. Early questions show ten-frames under the fact.
- Learn to make a ten on two frames.
- Take the frames away and ask your child to picture them.
Try it now: free, no signup
Free to play · no signup · works on phones, tablets and computers
Questions people ask
What age do ten-frames work for?
Children can start in preschool with counting, and they stay useful through first and second grade.
Should counters go in rows or anywhere?
Fill the top row left to right, then the bottom row. A fixed pattern is what lets children see the number without counting.
An app is on its way
We're building a Sumtown app for iPhone with the parts that need a real app: offline play for car rides, a town map that remembers how far your child got, and a parent report on every fact. Until then, the whole game is free right here.
Coming soon on theApp Store