Help Your Child Explain Number Bonds, Make Ten, and Bar Models—Without Giving the Answer

A number bond shows a whole and its parts. Making ten rearranges parts to build a friendly ten while keeping the total the same. A tape or bar model draws those relationships in a line. These are parent prompts and illustrative practice examples, not an answer key.

Start with the whole, parts, and unknown

Ask the child which number or picture shows the whole, what pieces are already known, and what is missing. Let quantities and their relationship—not a keyword—lead the thinking.

Number bonds, make ten, and bar models

A number bond is a part–part–whole relationship, not only a picture for facts that make 10. Make ten is one useful addition strategy, not the only one. A bar model reveals mathematical structure; it is not an algorithm or an automatic operation picker.

A small parent routine

Read the direction, name the whole and parts, build or sketch the quantities, connect the picture to an equation, and let the child explain or check. Follow the classroom model and ask the teacher when a representation is new or unclear.

Explain number bonds · Use make ten for addition · Read a tape or bar model