Make ten bridging for parents

Homework says 8 + 5 and the teacher wants make ten - not finger-counting every step. Schools also say bridge through ten, bridge to ten, or complete the ten. Same move: take enough from one number to finish a ten, then add what is left. This guide unpacks that bridging strategy for Australian parents - how it works on a ten-frame, how it grows into teens and two-digit sums, common mix-ups, and short home games.

It is a strategy page, not a second list of pairs. For the pairs themselves (friends of ten, bonds to 20), see number bonds explained. For the wider addition journey (counting on, part–part–whole, columns), see addition explained. Bridging leans on place value (tens and ones) and the classic ten-frame. Year maps sit in Prep–Year 3 maths.

The big idea: finish the ten, then add the leftover

Make ten / bridging through ten is a way to add when one number sits close to 10 (or to the next ten). The story is always:

1. See how many you need to reach the next ten.
2. Split the other number into that piece plus leftover.
3. Join to make 10 (or 20, 30…), then add the leftover.

Example: 8 + 5.

• 8 needs 2 to make 10.
• Split 5 into 2 + 3.
• 8 + 2 = 10, then 10 + 3 = 13.

Say it aloud: "Bridge to ten, then add what's left." Children who only count 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 get the right answer - but bridging builds a reusable habit for larger numbers, where counting every ones digit gets slow and error-prone.

Australian Curriculum Mathematics (version 9) builds partitioning, part–part–whole and flexible addition across Foundation to Year 3 (Foundation–Year 3). Classroom labels vary; echo whatever your child's teacher uses.

How this differs from number bonds (and from addition)

Number bonds answer "which pairs make 10?" - 7 and 3, 6 and 4, 5 and 5. Those pairs are the fuel. Bridging is the move that uses a bond mid-sum: "I need 2 more to make 10, so I take 2 from the 5."

Addition explained owns the whole operation: counting on, make-ten as one strategy among several, place-value splits and column renaming. This page zooms into one mental strategy - bridge to the ten - so parents can practise it without re-teaching every addition path at once.

Estimate before you add rounds to friendly numbers for a ballpark - different from exact bridging. Doubling and halfing (halving with a V) is another mental thread, not completing a ten.

Ten-frames make the bridge visible

A ten-frame (two rows of five) is the classic model. For 8 + 5:

• Fill eight cells.
• The empty cells show how many to the ten (two).
• Move two counters from the "5 pile" into those empty cells - the frame is full (10).
• Three counters remain outside - 10 + 3 = 13.

Counters, pasta, Lego or coins work the same way on a drawn frame. Fingers help early ("two to make ten"), then fade as the picture becomes mental. Two ten-frames or a number line to 20 support bridges into the teens when a single frame feels small for Year 2.

Worked examples you can say aloud

Near ten. 9 + 4 → take 1 from 4 → 9 + 1 = 10, leftover 3 → 13.

From 7. 7 + 6 → take 3 from 6 → 7 + 3 = 10, leftover 3 → 13.

Teen bridge. 8 + 7 → 8 + 2 = 10, leftover 5 → 15.

Next ten (two-digit). 28 + 5 → 28 needs 2 to reach 30 → take 2 from 5 → 28 + 2 = 30, leftover 3 → 33. Here place value matters: you bridge to the next ten, not only to "10".

Always narrate the three beats: how many to the ten → split → ten plus leftover.

Year by year: where bridging shows up

Prep–Year 1 - bonds to 10 and early make-ten stories (often with ten-frames). Counting on is still common and valid; bridging is the next flexible step (Prep maths, Year 1 maths).

Year 2 - bridges to 20, teen totals, and early two-digit "next ten" stories once tens and ones are steady (Year 2 maths).

Year 3 - the same habit inside larger mental addition; columns sit beside (not instead of) bridging (Year 3 maths).

If wobbles sit inside a broader worry, see Is my child behind in maths? and homework without tears.

Common mix-ups (and kinder fixes)

Knowing 8 + 2 = 10 but freezing on 8 + 5. Fix: the bond is only step one. Practise the split of the second number: "5 = 2 + 3" before rejoining.

Counting all the way instead of bridging. Fix: cover the filled cells on a ten-frame so they see the empty spots. "How many to fill the frame?" then move those counters in one go.

Taking the wrong piece from the second number. Fix: ask "how many to the ten?" first, then check leftover + bridge piece equals the original addend (2 + 3 = 5).

Bridging when a simpler strategy fits. 5 + 5 is a double; 6 + 1 is counting on one. Bridging is for crossing a ten - see addition explained and doubling and halfing.

Mixing "make ten" with "add the digits." For 28 + 5, children sometimes add 2 + 8 + 5 without place. Keep early bridges on a frame or number line to the next ten until place value is solid.

Racing two-digit bridges before bonds to 10 are fluent. If 8 + 5 still needs one-by-one counting of the "2 to ten", stay with single-digit bridges longer. Number bonds first, then the move.

Home games that do not feel like worksheets

Fill the frame. Show 7, 8 or 9 on a ten-frame. Child says how many to fill, then rolls a die (or draws a card 4–9) and bridges that addend aloud.

Split the snack. "9 crackers and 6 more." Move 1 to make 10, then count leftover 5 → 15.

Number-line jumps. Start at 8; jump to 10; hop the leftover. Say both jumps.

"Bridge or not?" You say a sum (6 + 2 vs 6 + 7). Child decides whether bridging helps.

Keep each game under ten minutes. Celebrate the story ("you bridged to ten"), not only the answer.

A simple weekly home routine

1. Two minutes of "how many to ten?" - flash a ten-frame or fingers showing 6–9; name the complement.
2. Five minutes of one bridge story - one sum (8 + 5 or 9 + 6) on a frame or number line; say the three beats aloud.
3. Three minutes of a tiny game - fill-the-frame or bridge-or-not.

Stop while it is still friendly. Confidence is part of the foundation.

How this links to other guides

• Number bonds explained - pairs to 10 and 20 that fuel the bridge
• Addition explained - full joining progression; bridging is one strategy inside it
• Estimate before you add - friendly-number ballpark before exact work (different job)
• Place value explained - tens and ones under "next ten" bridges
• What is a ten-frame? - the classic visual for make-ten
• Doubling and halfing - another mental-strategy thread
• Prep–Year 3 maths year maps (Year 1, Year 2)

Ask the teacher: "Are you using make ten, bridge through ten, or complete the ten this term - and which model (ten-frame, number line, counters)?" Matching home language reduces crossed wires.

FAQ

When do children learn make-ten / bridging at school?

Bonds to 10 and early make-ten stories appear strongly in Foundation and Year 1; bridging into teens and the next ten deepens through Years 1–3. Ask what phrase your child's class uses.

My child gets the right answer by counting on. Should we force bridging?

No. Counting on is a valid stage. Introduce bridging when numbers start to cross a ten and counting feels slow - with a ten-frame so they see the empty cells.

Is make ten the same as number bonds?

Closely related but not identical. Bonds name the pairs. Make ten / bridging uses a pair mid-sum: finish the ten, then add the leftover.

How is this different from addition explained?

Addition explained owns the operation and several strategies. This page owns the bridge-to-ten strategy only. A drawn ten-frame, counters and fingers are enough.

A calm next step

When "how many to ten → split → ten plus leftover" feels settled and you want a wider number-skill snapshot at home, Ziado's free check is a one-off, roughly 10-minute adaptive diagnostic with partial results only - no account and no card. The full placement unlocks after signup. It is not NAPLAN practice and it is not the full product; Ziado's ongoing path is adaptive maths (Foundation–Year 6) plus phonics reading (Foundation–Year 4). Explore Ziado maths if you want practice that can meet early number, bonds and place-value skills at the right step. Individual and Family plans, if you continue later, start with a 14-day free trial of the full app — see pricing for current plans.

Make-ten bridging uses the idea that ten ones make a ten — see bundling tens explained.

Make-ten is one friendly split; the fuller split-add-join pattern is in split add join explained.

Make-ten often starts from the larger addend — see also bigger number first explained.