Addition chart
An addition chart is a grid of sums. One addend runs down the left, the other across the top, and the sum sits where the row and column meet. The doubles, 1 + 1, 2 + 2 and so on, run down the diagonal.
Free printable PDF, Kindergarten to 2nd grade.
One page, black and white, prints the same every time.
What is on the sheet
The table below is the sheet as it prints with these options: 1 to 10, Shaded.
| + | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
What the chart shows
Every row goes up by one as you move right, and every column goes up by one as you move down, so the sums form diagonal stripes: all the 7s lie on one diagonal, all the 10s on another. A child who has noticed that can find any sum two ways and check one against the other. The shaded doubles are the facts most children learn first, and the "doubles plus one" facts sit right beside them.
The 1 to 10 chart holds the facts to 20 that 1st grade is expected to know from memory. The 1 to 20 chart goes to 40 for a 2nd grader who is adding larger numbers and wants a reference.
Using it at home and in class
Cover the sums and keep the headers, and the chart becomes a fact quiz: point to a row and a column and ask for the answer before uncovering it. Trace one diagonal with a highlighter and say the facts on it aloud. Use the chart to show why 3 + 5 and 5 + 3 give the same number by finding both cells. For subtraction, find the answer in the grid and read the two headers, which is how the fact families are usually introduced.
The blank addition chart prints the empty grid with the completed one as the answer key, for filling in from memory.
Common questions
- Does the chart start at 0?
- It starts at 1. Adding zero is taught in a sentence, and a row of it on the chart pushes every other fact one cell over.
- Which chart does a kindergartener need?
- The 1 to 10 chart, and only the top-left corner of it: kindergarten works within 10, so the sums to 10 in the first five rows are the ones to point at.