Free Printable 10 Frame Templates

These printable 10 frame templates are perfect to support children develop a range of different maths skills or to just have fun. Our free printable templates come in a range of designs as well as plain so there is something to suit all children and activities.

If you are looking for an activity that requires little planning or setup, then you have come to the right place.

What Are 10 Frames?

What are 10 frames I hear you ask? 10 frames are grids of 10 small boxes that are used for a range of tasks such as counting, understanding decimal values, colouring as well as developing patterns.

10 frames help children develop number sense which develops gradually in children up to the age of 5. The more a child interacts with numbers the more their sense grows. Our 10 frames enable children to interact with numbers in a visual and physical way, which helps to embed their learning for future meetings with numbers.

10 is the ideal number of boxes for children to use as it is a figure, they become familiar with early in their education and can use to upscale their learning. For example, if a child can clearly see 5 + 5 = 10 they can begin to understand that 50 + 50 = 100.

The 10 frames can be used for formal educational tasks or purely for fun.

How Are 10 Frames Used?

10 frames can be used in a variety of ways especially for addition and subtraction. One quick and simple way the frames can be used is to identify values. Give the children 10 counters and ask them to put the number of counters in the boxes to match the value you have asked for. For example, if you ask for 1, the child places 1 counter in 1 box. If you ask for 8 the child places 8 counters in 8 boxes and so on.

Another way they can be used is to add two values together. Ask a child simple maths question such as 3+4 or 7-2, they can then use their counters and frames to work out the sums. If counters are not available any small objects can be used, or for addition colouring in the squares in different colours is a great way to visualise the sum. We find that small balls of blu-tack or similar work well as counters.

Children can also use the 10 frames to colour in different patterns, this can then be used to discuss maths. Such as ‘you have coloured 5 purple and 3 orange boxes in your pattern, what is 5+3?’. This allows the children to see how sums are created and begin to see how anything can use maths.

10 frames are a good starting point to open conversations about maths, learning and application of skills in the real world.

Bennerfits Of Using 10 Frames

10 frames allow children to develop subitizing skills. Subitizing is a word we don’t often come across, but it means having the ability to quick recognise and name numbers in a group without counting. An example of subitizing that we have all come across is rolling dice. When you roll dice, you do not count all the dots, you know the patterns and recognise that two rows of 3 dots equals 6. To be able to subitize you must practice the skill and 10 frames is an ideal way of practicing and embedding.

10 frames give children a chance to understand the value of numbers, they are not memorising order of 1 -10 they are seeing what the values look like.

What's Included In Our ten Frame Package

Our free downloadable package on this page includes 8 printable’s, 2 blank 10 frame and 6 fun themed10 frame templates. These can be printed multiple times, or they can be laminated for continued use. Our printables are all A4 size and the grids are sized for counters to be easily placed inside the squares.

2 x Blank 10 Frame Templates

Both of our blank 10 frame templates have 3 grids on. On one page the frames have a black outline and the other the frames are outlined in red, blue, and green.

The coloured frames can be used to differentiate the tasks, for example the green template can be framed as an easy task and the red more of a challenge. Children love a challenge and when they complete a task they perceive as more difficult they develop a great sense of pride and want to try further challenges.

6 Fun Themed 10 Fram Templates

Our fun themed templates have 6 different concepts (school bus, aliens, dinosaurs, fairies, animals, and rainbows). The mathematical tasks can be adapted to suit the theme of the template. For example, how many boys and girls can fit on the school bus? Or how many eyes do the aliens have in the pictures? By changing the question or the theme it allows the children to apply their mathematical skills to different situations that might occur in life. Being able to apply maths out of the learning environment is a key skill for children to develop which our fun themed frames are a steppingstone towards.

Conclusion

We hope that our free 10 frame templates help your child develop their skills and their ability to subitize.

It is our opinion that every child should be given the opportunity to explore maths in a practical and visual way. We believe the 10 frame templates helps to cement their knowledge and develop children’s skill set in a fun, interactive way. There is very little setup required these templates can be used in a variety of ways.

If you have used our 10 frame templates, we would love to see pictures of them in action on our social media channels. We love to see our resources in action and to share your creative uses with others in our Just Family Fun community.