How can you tell they’ve got it: Number bonds to 9?

If they’ve got it, you’ll see things like: Given 7, respond '3' to make 10; Use a ten-frame to find the complement to 10; Record pairs that make 10 as equations (e.g. 6 + 4 = 10). Or just try it together: If your child has 6 strawberries and needs 10 for a recipe, can they quickly tell you they need 4 more — without counting all the way up from 1?

Mathematics Addition & Subtraction Ages 4–6

Number bonds to 9

Your child knows the pairs that make 10. Show them 6, and they can tell you 4 more makes 10, without counting up.

In curriculum terms

Find the number that makes 10 when added to a given number from 1 to 9 (number bonds to 10)

Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace. How to help at home →

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Given 7, respond '3' to make 10
Use a ten-frame to find the complement to 10
Record pairs that make 10 as equations (e.g. 6 + 4 = 10)

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Try this together

If your child has 6 strawberries and needs 10 for a recipe, can they quickly tell you they need 4 more — without counting all the way up from 1?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Numbers up to 10 into pairsages 4–6Making 10 is a specific application of decomposing numbers into pairs

Number bonds to 9this skill · ages 4–6

Unlocks

Number bondsages 5–6Number bonds within 20 builds on knowing bonds to 10

Addition and subtraction within 20ages 6–7Making-ten strategy requires knowing bonds to 10

Fluent adding and subtracting within 10ages 6–7Fluency within 10 requires knowing number bonds to 10

Showing Your Workingages 5–6Explaining how to find number bonds to 10 exercises showing thinking with objects

Adding Three Small Numbersages 6–7Looking for pairs that make 10 benefits from knowing number bonds to 10

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Where this fits in the official school curriculum — our best automated guess, not yet checked by a person.

Show candidate curriculum codes · 3 ACARA · 2 NSW · 2 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9M2N05low confidenceYear 2 · Number

multiply and divide by one-digit numbers using repeated addition, equal grouping, arrays, and partitioning to support a variety of calculation strategies

AC9M2N04low confidenceYear 2 · Number

add and subtract one- and two-digit numbers, representing problems using number sentences and solve using part-part-whole reasoning and a variety of calculation strategies

AC9M1N02low confidenceYear 1 · Number

partition one- and two-digit numbers in different ways using physical and virtual materials, including partitioning two-digit numbers into tens and ones

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

MA1-CSQ-01medium confidenceMathematics K-10 · Stage 1

MAE-CSQ-02low confidenceMathematics K-10 · Early Stage 1

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2M2N05low confidenceMathematics · Level 2 · Number strand

VC2M2N04low confidenceMathematics · Level 2 · Number strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Addition and subtraction word problemsages 4–6 Addition as combining or putting together twoages 4–6 Numbers up to 10 into pairsages 4–6 Representing Addition and Subtractionages 4–6

All Addition & Subtraction skills →