Free, high-quality maths lessons for every child

Within 20: bridging ten and fact families

Fill the ten first, then put the rest. Add three numbers, swap the numbers round and find the four facts in a family.

📖 Start here: read the steps of the “Lesson” in order (1, 2, 3 …) and answer each question. Then continue with “Practice”.

Play and learn with the hoopoe
Guide

This studio is for Year 1. Your child works with apples and counters and answers by tapping a number. If they can't read yet, read the sentences to them.

The key strategy is bridging ten: for 8 + 5, 2 of the 5 fill the first frame (10), and 3 are left: 13. Subtraction goes back the same way: for 13 − 5, take 3 to get to 10, then 2 more.

When adding three numbers, first add the two that make 10. In addition you can swap the numbers round (commutative property). 9, 6 and 15 are a fact family: 9 + 6 = 15, 6 + 9 = 15, 15 − 9 = 6, 15 − 6 = 9.