Mathematics · Kindergarten

Active learning ideas

Making 10

Active learning turns the abstract concept of making 10 into something concrete and memorable for young learners. By moving, talking, and manipulating materials, students build a mental model of how numbers combine to reach 10, which they can later transfer to written equations and mental math.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.4

• 15–25 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Ten-Frame Stories

Show a ten-frame with some dots filled in and ask 'how many more do we need to fill it up?' Students tell a partner the missing number and explain how they know, then share strategies as a class. Rotate through different starting amounts from 1 to 9 across the session.

Why is the number ten so important in our counting system?

Facilitation Tip

During Ten-Frame Toss, have students say the full equation aloud as they place each counter, reinforcing the connection between action and symbol.

What to look for

Give each student a card with a number from 1 to 9. Ask them to draw that many dots on one side of a ten-frame and then draw dots on the other side to fill the frame, writing the number sentence (e.g., 7 + 3 = 10).

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 25 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Ten Buddy Hunt

At each station, students draw a card (1 through 9) and find the 'ten buddy' that completes 10. Use two-color linking cubes to build each pair physically, then record both addends and the total in a T-chart. Students verify that all nine pairs produce 10.

How can we use a ten-frame to see a number without counting by ones?

Facilitation Tip

In Ten Buddy Hunt, circulate and listen for partners to state the missing addend with the sentence frame 'I have __, so I need __ more to make 10.'

What to look for

Hold up a ten-frame with some dots filled and some empty. Ask students to tell you how many dots are there and how many more are needed to make 10. Record their responses for quick review.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 20 min · Pairs

Whole Class: Ten-Frame Toss

In pairs, students toss 10 two-sided counters onto a ten-frame mat. Count red and yellow, then determine the 'missing' number needed to reach 10. Partners record each combination discovered and compare T-charts at the end to see if the class found all ten possible pairs.

Explain how knowing pairs that make 10 helps with addition.

Facilitation Tip

For Ten-Frame Stories, pause after each story to ask students to turn and explain their partner to a peer before sharing with the class.

What to look for

Present a problem like 'Sarah has 8 stickers. How many more stickers does she need to have 10 stickers?' Ask students to explain how they figured out the answer, encouraging them to use the term 'pairs that make 10'.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teaching making 10 starts with consistent visuals—ten-frames are non-negotiable because they show the structure of 10 in a single glance. Avoid isolated drills; instead, embed the concept in games and stories so students experience the inevitability of 10 as a total. Research shows that students who practice making 10 through varied, connected activities develop stronger number sense than those who memorize facts without context.

Students will confidently state the missing partner to make 10 for any number from 1 to 9 and connect visual models to symbolic equations. They will explain their reasoning using the language of partners and totals, not just by counting.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Ten-Frame Stories, watch for students who only see the ten-frame as a counting tool rather than a representation of additive partners.

  Prompt students to say, 'I filled 4, so I need 6 more to make 10,' while pointing to the filled and empty spaces on the frame.

• During Ten Buddy Hunt, watch for students who treat the activity as a memory game rather than a structural understanding of partners.

  Ask students to explain their matches using the sentence frame, 'I paired 7 with 3 because 7 plus 3 makes 10,' and model this language during the hunt.

• During Ten-Frame Toss, watch for students who cannot connect the physical counters to the written equation.

  After each toss, ask students to write their equation on a whiteboard and read it aloud, bridging the concrete and symbolic representations immediately.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share
• Stations Rotation