Number Bonds to 5

Number bonds to 5 are pairs of numbers that add up to 5. They are: 0+5, 1+4, 2+3, 3+2, 4+1, 5+0. Because your hand has 5 fingers, the bonds to 5 are super easy to see. Bend some fingers down and the ones still up show the bond.

The number 5 is a big friendly number because it is exactly one hand. Any time you split 5 into two groups, those two groups are a bond. 1 finger up and 4 down is 1 + 4 = 5. 2 fingers up and 3 down is 2 + 3 = 5. You only have a few bonds to learn, and they are all on your hand.

Hold up 2 fingers. The other 3 are down. So 2 + 3 = 5. Hold up 4 fingers. The other 1 is down. So 4 + 1 = 5. Hold up all 5 fingers. The other 0 are down. So 5 + 0 = 5. You know all the bonds already, just by looking at your hand!

Bonds to 5 help you learn bonds to 10. If you know 3 + 2 = 5, you can figure out 3 + 7 = 10 (because 2 became 7, which is 5 more). The number 5 is a stepping stone to 10, and 10 is a stepping stone to 100. Tiny number bonds add up to huge math skills later.