Free Number Bonds Worksheets
Free instant PDF — no signup, no watermark. The preview above is exactly what prints, and the answer key is page two of the same file.
Shares these exact options — anyone with the link gets this sheet.
Teacher or parent? Pin this so it's there when you need it.
Save to PinterestA number bond is the part-part-whole circle diagram that shows how two parts make a whole — 3 and 4 make 7. These worksheets leave one circle blank: the missing part, the missing whole, or both parts for the child to choose, with bonds to 5, 10, or 20 and the answer key on page two.
- Pages:
- 2 — worksheet + answer key
- Sheet types:
- Missing part, missing whole, decompose
- Range:
- Bonds to 5, 10, or 20; 4–12 bonds per page
- Paper sizes:
- US Letter and A4
- Cost:
- Free — no signup, no email, no watermark
How to use this number bonds maker
Pick what students do — find the missing part, add two parts to find the whole, or break a whole apart into two parts of their own. Then set how large the numbers go with the bonds-to control and how many bonds fit on the page. The preview updates instantly and shows the exact sheet you'll get. Click Download PDF and print; the answer key is page two of the same file, so there is nothing else to fetch and nothing to sign up for.
What's included on each worksheet
Every sheet is a full page with a name and date line at the top, numbered number bonds, and a matching answer key on page two. Each bond is drawn as the classic part-part-whole diagram — a circle for the whole at the top, branching down to a circle for each part — with the number the child supplies left blank. The break-apart sheet leaves both parts blank and the key fills in one valid pair, because there is more than one way to make a number; the missing-part and missing-whole sheets have exactly one right answer per bond.
Tips for teaching number bonds
- Start with bonds to 5 and get them fast before moving to 10. The whole point is instant recall, and a shaky bond of 5 makes a bond of 10 twice as hard.
- Say every bond four ways out loud — “six and four make ten, four and six make ten, ten take away six is four, ten take away four is six.” The same picture is two addition facts and two subtraction facts, and hearing all four is what fuses them.
- Print a find-the-missing-part sheet and a find-the-whole sheet with the same bonds-to setting and hand them out back to back. One is subtraction and one is addition, and seeing that they use the same three numbers is the insight number bonds exist to deliver.
- Use the break-apart sheet to show there is more than one right answer. Ask a child to find every way to make the whole, not just one, and the bonds-to-10 pairs start to feel like a set to memorize.
- Keep the whole at 10 for a long time. Bonds to 10 do more work in mental math than any other set, so over-practicing them is time well spent.
- Reach for counters or fingers whenever a bond is not automatic. Number bonds are meant to move a child off counting, but the picture is a bridge from it, not a replacement for it.
Customization options
What students do
Three sheet types. Find the missing part gives the whole and one part and asks for the other — this is subtraction. Find the whole gives both parts and asks for the total — this is addition. Break the whole apart gives only the whole and lets the child write any two parts that make it, so there is more than one right answer.
Bonds to
Bonds to 5, 10, or 20. This is the difficulty dial: no whole on the sheet will be larger than the number you pick. Bonds to 5 are a kindergarten introduction, bonds to 10 are the set most worth memorizing, and bonds to 20 extend the same idea past a single ten.
Bonds per page
4, 6, 9, or 12. Fewer bonds means larger diagrams, which are much easier for younger children to read and to write in; 12 gives a full drill page for children who have the idea and need the fluency.
Paper size
US Letter (8.5 × 11 inches) or A4 (210 × 297 mm). The bonds are recomputed to fit whichever sheet you choose, so nothing is stretched or clipped.
Frequently asked questions
What is a number bond?
A number bond is a simple picture that shows how a whole number breaks into two parts. The whole sits in a circle at the top, with a branch down to a circle for each part. It is a first way to see that the same three numbers make an addition fact and a subtraction fact — for example, the bond of 10 into 6 and 4 shows 6 + 4 = 10, 4 + 6 = 10, 10 − 6 = 4, and 10 − 4 = 6.
What number bond worksheets can I make?
Three different sheets. Find the missing part gives the whole and one part and asks for the other, which is subtraction. Find the whole gives both parts and asks for the total, which is addition. Break the whole apart gives only the whole and lets the child write any two parts that make it. Each one can be set to bonds to 5, 10, or 20, with 4, 6, 9, or 12 bonds per page.
Are these number bonds worksheets free?
Yes. Every sheet is completely free — no signup, no email required, no watermarks, and no limit on how many you generate, download, or print. The answer key comes in the same PDF.
Is there an answer key?
Yes — page two of every download is the answer key for page one. Answers are printed in blue so you can tell the two pages apart across a desk. On the break-apart sheet there is more than one correct answer, so the key fills in one valid pair as an example; any two parts that add to the whole are right.
What are number bonds to 10?
Number bonds to 10 are the pairs of parts that make 10: 0 and 10, 1 and 9, 2 and 8, 3 and 7, 4 and 6, 5 and 5, and their reverses. Knowing them by heart is one of the biggest steps toward mental addition and subtraction, which is why bonds to 10 get so much practice. Set the ceiling to 10 to drill exactly these; set it to 5 for an easier start or 20 to extend.
How are number bonds used for subtraction?
Every number bond is a subtraction fact as well as an addition fact. When the whole and one part are given and the other part is missing, finding it is subtraction: the missing part of a bond of 10 with 6 already shown is 10 − 6 = 4. The find-the-missing-part sheet is built around exactly this, so a child practices subtraction as the reverse of a bond they already know.
What grade are number bonds for?
Number bonds are usually introduced in kindergarten with bonds to 5 and 10, and are used heavily in first grade for addition and subtraction fluency within 20. The bonds-to setting lets you match the sheet to where a child is rather than to a grade label — start at 5, move to 10 once those are quick, and use 20 to stretch.
Will I get the same worksheet if I come back?
Yes. Each combination of sheet type, bonds-to ceiling, and bond count always generates the same sheet, so you can print a class set today and another identical set next week. Change any of those settings and you get a genuinely different set of bonds, not the same ones reshuffled.
What paper size do these print on?
Choose US Letter (8.5 × 11 inches) or A4 (210 × 297 mm) and the bonds are laid out to fit that sheet. Print at 100% scale on plain paper; the diagram is drawn as thin outlines, so it prints crisp even on draft quality and leaves plenty of room to write.
Related worksheets
- All free worksheetsEvery printable generator on the site in one place.
- Kindergarten worksheetsWhere number bonds to 5 and 10 usually start.
- 1st grade worksheetsAddition and subtraction fluency within 20.
- Addition worksheetsPractice the addition fact each bond represents.
- Subtraction worksheetsThe other half of every number bond.
- Number line generatorAnother way to see how numbers break apart.
- Place value guideOnes, tens, and hundreds — the next number-sense step.
- Skip counting guideCounting by 2s, 5s, and 10s builds the same fluency.