Maths › Adding and taking away › Number lines
Adding on a number line: jump to the answer
Free printable number line addition worksheets, adding to 10, 20 or 100. Children start at the first number and jump on. Choose sheets where they draw the jumps, read the jumps, or find the missing jump. Every sheet comes with an answer page.
How to add on a number line
1Find the first numberPut your finger on it, or draw a dot.
2Jump onMake one jump for every number you add, counting as you go.
3Land on the answerThe number you land on is the total.
- Start with the bigger number. 2 + 9 is quicker as 9 + 2: two small jumps instead of nine.
- Use 10 as a stepping stone. For 8 + 5, jump 2 to reach 10, then 3 more. This “make 10” habit makes mental adding much faster.
- Jump in tens for bigger numbers. For 34 + 23, jump 20 in two tens (44, 54), then 3 ones (57).
- Practise crossing any ten, not just 10. Choose Across tens to get sums like 27 + 5 or 58 + 6 on a short line from 20 to 40 or 50 to 70, so the jumps stay big and easy to draw.
- Try an empty number line. Once children are confident, a plain line with only the numbers they need is quicker to draw and works for any size of number.
Make a number line sheet
Choose how far to add, the kind of sheet and the jumps, then roll for a fresh one.
Tips for parents
- Act it out first. Chalk a number line on the path or lay out cushions and jump along it before using paper.
- Say the numbers as you jump. “Seven… eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve.” Counting on out loud is the skill the line is teaching.
- Move from ones to bigger jumps. When jumps of one are easy, show the jump to 10, then jumps of ten.
- Check by jumping back. If 7 + 5 = 12, then jumping back 5 from 12 should land on 7.
In the National Curriculum for England, Year 1 children use the number line to represent numbers and add and subtract within 20. In Year 2 they add a two-digit number and ones, a two-digit number and tens, and two two-digit numbers.