Double Ten Frame: Free Interactive Frames for Numbers to 20

What a double ten frame teaches

Two ten frames hold 20. That's enough for every addition fact a 1st grader learns, and for the idea that unlocks place value: a teen number is one ten and some ones. On a double ten frame, 13 isn't thirteen separate counters. It's a full frame and three more, which is exactly what the digits 1 and 3 say.

The board fills the first frame before the second, so every number from 11 to 20 shows that structure. The count under each frame and the number sentence in the readout make the link to symbols.

Kindergartners use this picture when the standards ask them to compose and decompose 11 to 19 into ten ones and further ones (K.NBT.A.1). First graders build on it: they learn that the 1 in 13 means one ten (1.NBT.B.2) and use making ten as an addition and subtraction strategy within 20 (1.OA.C.6). By the end of 2nd grade, children are expected to know all sums of two one-digit numbers from memory (2.OA.B.2), and the frames help them get there by reasoning first.

The make-ten strategy, step by step

1. Build the problem. For 8 + 5, put 8 red counters in the first frame and 5 yellow counters in the second.
2. Look at the gap. The first frame has 2 empty boxes.
3. Move to fill. Drag 2 yellow counters into the first frame. Now it's full.
4. Read the new problem. 10 + 3. The readout shows 10 + 3 = 13.
5. Say the whole story. "8 + 5 is the same as 8 + 2 + 3, which is 10 + 3, which is 13."

The same move works for subtraction. For 14 − 6, take away the 4 in the second frame, then 2 more from the first: 14 − 4 − 2 = 8. Children who learn this on frames can later do it in their heads or on an open number line.

Double ten frame activities

• Teen number flash. Press Quick look. The board shows a number to 20 for two seconds. Say it, then say it as "ten and ___".
• Doubles. 6 red in the first frame, 6 yellow in the second: 6 + 6 = 12. Build every double to 10 + 10.
• Near doubles. If 7 + 7 is 14, what is 7 + 8? Build both and compare.
• Make ten with 9s. 9 + anything: move one counter, and 9 + 6 becomes 10 + 5. Children love how fast the 9s get.
• Missing part. Build 12 with red. Hide value, flip some to yellow, and ask a partner how many of each.
• Take from ten. For 13 − 5, take all 5 from the full frame instead of the 3: 10 − 5 + 3 = 8.

Tips for teachers and parents

• Insist on the first frame first. It's the habit that makes teen numbers make sense.
• Talk, then write. After each problem, write the sentence with the Text tool or on paper: 8 + 5 = 10 + 3 = 13.
• Two colors are two addends. Keep one color per number so the sentence is easy to read.
• Don't rush past 10 + n. Children who quickly see 10 + 4 as 14 are ready for make ten; children who count all 14 need more time with teen numbers.
• Connect to tens. Once the full frame feels like one unit, show a ten rod from the base ten blocks. It's the same ten in a new form.

Common mistakes and what to do

Why ten is the key number

Our number system groups by tens. Every time children add across a ten, whether it's 8 + 5, 38 + 5 or 380 + 50, the same move helps: finish the ten, then add the rest. A child who learns to make ten with counters at age 6 is learning the move behind mental math for years to come. That's why so many programs, from Singapore-style curricula to Montessori bead work, spend time on the teens.

Using the board with a class

Project the board and build a problem together, then have students build the next one on their own devices. Press Share to post a board to your class page: the link rebuilds the exact counters. Task cards make good warm-ups or centers, and Print makes a one-page sheet with the board and the task for a folder or a take-home note.

Double ten frame by grade

Start with one ten frame for numbers to 10. For practice on paper, print a number line to 20 and draw the make-ten jumps.

At home, a double ten frame can be as simple as an egg carton with two rows cut to five cups each, or two grids drawn on paper. Use the board for the number sentences and sharing, and real objects for little hands.

Choosing an activity

Grade bands describe possible curriculum connections, not an assessment of an individual learner. Start with an example the learner can explain, then change one feature at a time. The activity suggestions here are editorial teaching ideas, not results from a classroom trial of this software. Use the model alongside written work and physical materials when useful. The linked standards describe learning objectives; they do not endorse Edulist or require this particular tool.