Easy Ten Frame Addition Game FREEBIE!

Five and ten frame addition games are great for teaching addition and number sense! Your students will want to play again and again, and the repetition of using a five or ten frame is essential for solidifying those number sense skills and understanding adding to 5 and to 10.

In kindergarten, the focus is often on adding numbers within 5, so a 5 frame is a perfect tool to show the different ways to make 5!

Students grab 5 red and yellow counters and shake!

Students drop the counters and lay the red on the 5 frame first and then the yellow. Then they write the number sentence that matches the 5 frame.

Modeling this five frame addition activity is a must, of course. But once your students understand the concept and how to play, they are ready to play with a partner (for accountability), at your guided math table, or independently while you walk around and observe.

The next step is to practice addition to 5 with a ten frame, but still provide just 5 red and yellow counters. This scaffolded approach allows students to understand that the 5 they are making is also a part of 10.

Students are still making 5 with their counters, but a ten frame is provided. The bottom half is muted in color to prompt students to use just the top 5 boxes.

The next step for your students is to use a complete 10 frame and add to 10.

A strong sense of ten provides a good foundation for place value and mental math.

Adding within 10 is a first grade standard, but certainly, many kindergarten students are ready for this concept as well.

This Shake and Make mat is perfect for adding any numbers to 10. If you are working on adding to 8, simply provide 8 counters. If you are working on adding any numbers up to 10, provide 10 counters and have them grab a handful and shake what they grab. Easy peasy!