Mental Addition: Making 10 First

🎯 What You'll Learn

You will learn a powerful mental math trick: break a number apart to make 10 first, then add the rest.

🏪 Market Story

Bola needs to add ₦8 + ₦5 in her head quickly at the market. She thinks: "I need 2 more to make ₦8 into ₦10. I'll take 2 from the 5, leaving 3. So ₦10 + ₦3 = ₦13!" She did it without counting on her fingers!

📝 Let's Learn

The Make 10 strategy works like this:

1. Look at the bigger number. How many more do you need to make 10?
2. Take that amount from the other number.
3. Add 10 + whatever is left.

Example 1: 9 + 4. Need 1 to make 10. Take 1 from 4, leaving 3. 10 + 3 = 13.

Example 2: 7 + 5. Need 3 to make 10. Take 3 from 5, leaving 2. 10 + 2 = 12.

Example 3: 8 + 6. Need 2 to make 10. Take 2 from 6, leaving 4. 10 + 4 = 14.

This works because adding to 10 is easy — you just put the leftover number after the 1!

✏️ Practice Questions

1. Use Make 10 to solve: 9 + 6. How many do you need to make 10? What is left?
2. Use Make 10 to solve: 7 + 8.
3. Emeka needs to quickly add ₦8 + ₦7 at the kiosk. Use Make 10 to help him.

Click to see answers

1. 9 + 6: Need 1 to make 10, take 1 from 6, leaving 5. 10 + 5 = 15.
2. 7 + 8: Need 3 to make 7 into 10? Actually, start with 8 (bigger number). Need 2 to make 10. Take 2 from 7, leaving 5. 10 + 5 = 15.
3. 8 + 7: Need 2 to make 10. Take 2 from 7, leaving 5. 10 + 5 = ₦15.

💡 Remember

The Make 10 strategy is a mental math superpower! Break a number apart so one number becomes 10, then add what's left. Practice until it becomes automatic.