LittleLearnersFree Number Bonds Worksheets — Bonds to 5, 10 and 20
Number bonds are the pairs of numbers that make a total — and knowing them by heart makes all later maths easier. Print our free pack and work through bonds to 5, 10 and 20. No sign-up, no cost.
7 pages · Part-whole diagrams · Ten frames · Fact families · Answer key included
What are number bonds?
A number bond is a pair of numbers that add together to make a given total. If your child knows that 7 and 3 make 10, they also know — without counting — that 10 take away 3 is 7. That is why teachers spend so much time on bonds: they turn slow counting into instant recall, and they underpin mental addition, subtraction, and later, bridging through ten (8 + 5 becomes 8 + 2 + 3).
The bonds to 10 — every pair
These are the famous "friends of ten". Once these are automatic, bonds to 20 and even to 100 become much easier.
- 0 + 10 and 10 + 0
- 1 + 9 and 9 + 1
- 2 + 8 and 8 + 2
- 3 + 7 and 7 + 3
- 4 + 6 and 6 + 4
- 5 + 5
The order children learn them
- Reception: bonds to 5 first — small enough to hold in two hands (4 and 1, 3 and 2…)
- Year 1: bonds to 10, using ten frames and part-whole diagrams so children see the pairs
- Year 2: bonds to 20 — mostly the bonds to 10 plus ten (13 + 7 uses 3 + 7)
Start hands-on before paper: counters, blocks or pasta pieces split into two groups. Children who have physically broken 10 into two parts understand the worksheet version far faster.
From bonds to fact families
Every bond gives four facts. From 3 + 7 = 10 your child gets 7 + 3 = 10, 10 − 3 = 7 and 10 − 7 = 3. Our pack finishes with fact family pages so children see addition and subtraction as two views of the same bond — the idea behind the popular "part-part-whole" model used in UK classrooms.
Keep practising
Questions parents ask
How long should it take to learn bonds to 10?
There's no deadline — instant recall builds over months of short practice. Five minutes a few times a week beats a long weekly session.
My child counts on their fingers every time. Is that a problem?
Not at first — fingers are a sensible stage. As bonds become familiar through practice, the counting drops away naturally. Ten frames help the pairs become visual.
Should we learn bonds to 20 before bonds to 10 are solid?
No — bonds to 20 lean heavily on bonds to 10 (14 + 6 is 4 + 6, plus ten). Secure the tens first.
Are number bonds the same as times tables?
Similar idea, earlier stage. Both are number facts children memorise so that bigger maths isn't slowed down by working out the basics.