The Make-10 strategy
The Singapore trick for adding within 20.
Making ten turns a hard fact into an easy one: 8 + 5 becomes 8 + 2 + 3. Children need secure bonds to ten first; this bridging strategy usually lands around ages six to seven and is the foundation of mental arithmetic with larger numbers.
Play this lesson with narration →The problem: 8 + 5
Eight plus five is hard… unless we make ten first.
Eight plus five. Instead of counting on our fingers, we can be clever. We'll turn eight into ten, then add what's left.
Split the five
5 = 2 + 3. Take 2 to fill up ten.
Eight needs two more to be ten. So we split five into two and three. Give the two to eight — now we have ten. Then add the three left over. Ten plus three is thirteen.
Write it out
Eight plus five becomes eight plus two plus three. That's ten plus three. Thirteen.
Your turn: 9 + 6
Nine needs one more to be ten. Split six into one and five. Ten plus five is fifteen.
What parents should watch for
- Splitting the second number wrongly — taking 3 to fill 8 instead of 2.
- Reaching ten and then forgetting how much of the second number is still left to add.
- Falling back to counting on one at a time because it feels safer.
- Applying the strategy mechanically without noticing which number is close to ten.
Land 38 · Strategy Springs — 10 levels for ages 4–8 in the addition & subtraction strand.
Play Strategy Springs in the Yaze Adventure Map — games built on this exact skill.
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