Friends of Ten Game

Friends of Ten Game This game is a “Friends of Ten” Addition Trainer. Instead of just counting what is there, the student must now calculate the missing part needed to complete a whole ten. Scroll down the page for a more detailed explanation.
 
Check out these other Ten-Frame games:
Friends of Ten (within 10)
Make of Ten to Add (10 to 20)
 

 

How the Friends of Ten Game Works

1. The game populates the ten-frame with a random number of dots (between 1 and 9). An equation displays the number of dots currently in the frame, followed by a blue “blank” (?) that represents the empty spaces.
   
2. When a student clicks a number, it fills the blank in the equation and the missing dots “fly” into the empty slots to complete the ten-frame.
3. On a wrong answer, the blank turns red and shows the correct number, while the correct button glows green.
   Your score is tracked at the top, showing how many you’ve gotten right out of the total you’ve tried.
   
4. Click “Exit to Menu” to restart the game.
    
   Friends of Ten Strategy
   Here is a detailed breakdown of how this strategy works for early learners.
   
   
5. The Pairs (The “Friends”)
   There are 11 combinations (including zero) that make 10. They are often taught in pairs to show that the order doesn’t matter (the Commutative Property):
   0 and 10
   1 and 9
   2 and 8
   3 and 7
   4 and 6
   5 and 5 (The “Double”)
   
   
6. Visualizing with a Ten-Frame
   The best way to learn these is using a Ten-Frame. Because a ten-frame has 10 total slots, any dots you see automatically “show” you their friend in the empty spaces.
   If you see 7 dots: You can see 3 empty “holes.” Therefore, 7 and 3 are friends.
   If you see 4 dots: You can see 6 empty “holes.” Therefore, 4 and 6 are friends.
   
   
7. Why is this strategy so important?
   “Friends of Ten” is the “key” that unlocks three major math skills:
   A. Subtraction from 10
   If a student knows 7 + 3 = 10, they automatically know 10 - 7 = 3 without having to count backward.
   
   B. Bridging to Ten (The Game Strategy)
   When solving 8 + 5, a student thinks: “I have 8. I know its friend is 2. I’ll take 2 from the 5 to make a 10, then add the 3 I have left over."
   
   C. Higher Decimals
   This logic scales up. If you know 3 and 7 are friends, you also know:
   30 + 70 = 100
   300 + 700 = 1000
   0.3 + 0.7 = 1.0
   
   How to Practice
   Finger Counting: Hold up 3 fingers. How many are “tucked down”? (7). Those are the friends
   Flashcards: Show a number (e.g., “4”) and have the student shout its friend (“6!”) as fast as they can.
   Ten-Frame Games: Like the game above, seeing the “empty slots” is the fastest way to build this mental map.
    
   Summary of Benefits Feature
   

• Encourages Fluency Pairs:
  The student begins to memorize “Friends of 10” (like 7 and 3, or 6 and 4). Eventually, they won’t count the empty spaces; they will just know the answer.
  
• Prevents Finger Counting:
  Finger counting becomes slow and difficult for large numbers. Mastering the ten-frame allows students to “see” numbers in their head instead of relying on their hands.
   
  This video gives a clear, step-by-step approach to learn addition using friends of 10.
  
  • Show Video
  
   
  

Try out our new and fun Fraction Concoction Game.

Add and subtract fractions to make exciting fraction concoctions following a recipe. There are four levels of difficulty: Easy, medium, hard and insane. Practice the basics of fraction addition and subtraction or challenge yourself with the insane level.

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