Give your students a fun and hands-on way to practise addition to 10 with our Teddy Bear Sums! This versatile and engaging resource helps young learners develop fluency with basic addition facts while building number sense and confidence. With the support of visual cues and a number line, students can explore addition in a meaningful, concrete way that supports deeper understanding.

To prepare the activity, laminate the Teddy Bear Sums sheets so they can be used again and again during maths rotations or small group work. The sheet includes a number line at the bottom to provide extra support for students who are still developing their counting strategies. The resource also includes 93 addition cards, each featuring an addition sum with coloured teddy bears to represent the numbers. This visual support makes the activity ideal for learners who benefit from concrete representations of number relationships.

Teddy Bear Sums is simple to use and highly effective for building fluency. Students select an addition card and place it in the box on their laminated sheet. They use the coloured teddy bears on the card to determine how many objects to place in the ‘jar’ space on the sheet. Next, they physically place the correct number of bears onto the number line, reinforcing the counting process and helping to visualise the addition. Finally, students write the answer next to the question card using a whiteboard marker. You may also choose to have students complete the included recording sheet to document their learning and provide opportunities for assessment and reflection.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Develop fluency with addition facts to 10
• ✅ Strengthen number sense and understanding of number relationships
• ✅ Build confidence and accuracy in solving basic addition problems
• ✅ Promote visual and tactile learning through the use of concrete materials
• ✅ Foster independence and self-monitoring during maths practise

What’s Included:

• Laminated Teddy Bear Sums game sheet with number line support
• Set of 93 addition cards with sums and coloured teddy bears
• Student recording sheet for documenting learning
• Teacher notes with tips for classroom use and differentiation

Materials Needed:

• Printed and laminated Teddy Bear Sums sheets
• Printed and cut addition cards
• Whiteboard markers for recording answers on the laminated sheet
• Pencils for completing the optional recording sheet

How to Use:

1. Print, laminate, and prepare the Teddy Bear Sums sheets and addition cards.
2. Introduce the activity by modelling how to use the visual cues and number line to solve addition problems.
3. Students select an addition card and place it in the designated space on their laminated sheet.
4. Using the coloured teddy bears as a guide, students place the correct number of counters into the jar space and then onto the number line.
5. Once they have completed the addition, students write the answer next to the question card using a whiteboard marker.
6. Encourage students to use the recording sheet to document their work and reflect on their learning.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use during maths rotations to reinforce addition facts through hands-on practise.
• 💡 Incorporate into small group instruction to support learners developing fluency with addition.
• 💡 Offer as an independent activity for early finishers to promote self-directed learning.
• 💡 Use the recording sheet as an informal assessment tool to track student progress.
• 💡 Pair students to encourage collaborative problem-solving and mathematical discussion.

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Laminate the game sheets to ensure durability and repeated use throughout the year.
• 💛 Model efficient counting strategies and the correct use of the number line to promote accuracy.
• 💛 Provide a variety of tactile materials (such as bear counters or small objects) to further engage students.
• 💛 Encourage students to verbalise their strategies and thinking as they work through each sum.

Teddy Bear Sums is a fun, flexible, and highly effective resource for helping students build fluency, confidence, and understanding with addition to 10. The engaging format and visual supports make it a perfect addition to any early years or primary maths program!