15 Easy Prep Subtraction Activities Education To The Core

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 29, 2025, 12:26 PM

15 easy prep subtraction activities education to the core

Looking for fun and engaging easy prep activities to help your students master subtraction? What are some of the best ways to teach this fundamental math skill without putting them to sleep? Sure, you can spend hours searching the internet and reinventing the wheel…or you can check out our list of 15 easy prep subtraction activities. My students are obsessed with number #9! <img fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" data-pin-url="https://educationtothecore.com/15-easy-prep-subtraction-activities/?tp_image_id=87291" class="alignnone wp-image-87291" src="https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PIN-15-220x330.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1" alt="" width="300" height="450" data-pin-title="15 Easy Prep Activities to Teach Subtraction" data-pin-description="Looking for fun and engaging easy prep activities to help your students master subtraction? What are some of the best ways to teach this fundamental math skill without putting them to sleep?

Sure, you can spend hours searching the internet and reinventing the wheel...or you can check out our list of 15 easy prep subtraction activities. My students are obsessed with number #9!" srcset="https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PIN-15-220x330.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 220w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PIN-15-683x1024.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 683w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PIN-15-768x1152.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 768w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PIN-15-1024x1536.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 1024w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PIN-15-385x578.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 385w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PIN-15.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 1200w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PIN-15.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&w=480&ssl=1 480w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PIN-15.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&w=960&ssl=1 960w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-pin-url="https://educationtothecore.com/15-easy-prep-subtraction-activities/?tp_image_id=87194" data-pin-title="15 Easy Prep Subtraction Activities" class="wp-image-87194 alignright" src="https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Photo-Nov-01-6-18-53-AM-248x330.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1" alt="" width="215" height="286" srcset="https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Photo-Nov-01-6-18-53-AM-248x330.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 248w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Photo-Nov-01-6-18-53-AM-768x1024.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 768w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Photo-Nov-01-6-18-53-AM-1152x1536.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 1152w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Photo-Nov-01-6-18-53-AM-1536x2048.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 1536w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Photo-Nov-01-6-18-53-AM-385x513.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 385w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Photo-Nov-01-6-18-53-AM-scaled.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 215px) 100vw, 215px" /> Students enjoy playing with dice, and they can make any lesson more fun and engaging. Give each student one die and one copy of the Roll & Subtract recording sheet. Students will roll the dice to find out which subtraction problems they need to solve.

For example, if they roll a 3, they should answer the first subtraction problem in column 3 before rolling their die again. This activity can be played with a partner. They will need a 100 chart, two different colored crayons, and a pair of dice. Partners will start at 100 on the chart, take turns rolling the dice, and subtracting their roll from the current number. For example, if the first roll is a 4, they will subtract 4 from 100 to give them 96. Each time they subtract, that player will color in the number tile they ended on, and the next player repeats this process from where their partner left off until they reach 0.

You can even put this worksheet into a page protector with two different dry erase markers, and students can play during centers or as a finisher activity. In my day, we just memorized math. I don’t know that I ever really truly understood much of what math was nor was I able to compute higher-level skills until I started teaching math and learned how to be flexible with... Flexibility with numbers is a key foundational skill for young learners and those who don’t have it, struggle from early on. When it is hard to figure out what 7 + 4 =, a child will become easily frustrated, leading to the oh so often felt and heard, “I’m just no good at math.” It... <img fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" data-pin-url="https://educationtothecore.com/13-simple-ways-to-practice-addition-and-subtraction/?tp_image_id=65930" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-65930" src="https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PIN-15-220x330.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1" alt="" width="220" height="330" data-pin-title="13 Simple Ways to Practice Addition and Subtraction" data-pin-description="Flexibility with numbers is a key foundational skill for young learners and those who...

When it is hard to figure out what 7 + 4 =, a child will become easily frustrated, leading to the oh so often felt and heard, “I’m just no good at math.” There... So, here are 13 ways to practice simple addition and subtraction that are sure to please." srcset="https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PIN-15-220x330.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 220w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PIN-15-385x578.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 385w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PIN-15-683x1024.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 683w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PIN-15-768x1152.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 768w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PIN-15-1024x1536.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 1024w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PIN-15-373x560.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 373w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PIN-15.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 1200w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PIN-15.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&w=480&ssl=1 480w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PIN-15.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&w=960&ssl=1 960w"... There are a number of ways to accomplish this, but one thing I am passionate about is making sure instruction is developmentally appropriate. Research tells us that learning through play is most appropriate for early childhood students (and that designation goes through age 8 or 9 depending on where you look) and the kids are way more... To develop strategic thinking, use lots of concrete representations to start, then move to the more abstract (for example, start with dot dice and move on to numeral dice). So, here are 13 ways to practice simple addition and subtraction that are sure to please.

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-pin-url="https://educationtothecore.com/13-simple-ways-to-practice-addition-and-subtraction/?tp_image_id=65705" data-pin-title="13 Simple Ways to Practice Addition and Subtraction" class="size-medium wp-image-65705 alignleft" src="https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-28-at-12.05.21-AM-330x259.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1" alt="" width="330" height="259" srcset="https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-28-at-12.05.21-AM-330x259.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 330w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-28-at-12.05.21-AM-385x302.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 385w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-28-at-12.05.21-AM-1024x803.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 1024w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-28-at-12.05.21-AM-768x602.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 768w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-28-at-12.05.21-AM-373x293.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 373w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-28-at-12.05.21-AM.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 1066w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-28-at-12.05.21-AM.png?strip=all&lossy=1&w=213&ssl=1 213w, https://enhtne6i59t.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-28-at-12.05.21-AM.png?strip=all&lossy=1&w=639&ssl=1... There are so many different kinds of dice you can get now and if you can’t find the ones you want, there’s DIY wood block dice! Place value blocks, ten frames, dots, numerals of any range with any number of sides, big and wooden dice, colorful dice, foam dice… Just search for dice online – but be prepared to get... Lots of work with making five and ten is required in K/1 and this can easily be done with addition (and frankly, subtraction, too – think fact families) and dice. Tenzi is a great way to have multiple players with a target number in a fast-paced, fun game. Learning subtraction takes practice, just like any math skill.

So it’s a good idea to have a whole collection of clever subtraction activities in your toolbox. These are some of our favorites for the classroom or to send home with students to practice at home. Anchor charts give kids something to refer back to as they work on new concepts and skills. We like this subtraction anchor chart for all the details it provides. Learn more: Mini Math Anchor Charts at Lucky Little Learners Read-alouds are such a fun way to introduce new math concepts to kids.

There are lots of great books to work into your subtraction activities, like our perennial favorite Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. Learn more: Teaching Subtraction at A Pinch of Kinder Are your kids struggling with subtraction? Finding the number that is left when another number is taken away can be a very challenging skill for students to master, but subtraction is an essential part of developing mathematical fluency. The key is to hook your kids with fun activities that will help them understand and strengthen their subtraction skills. So resist using that next worksheet and make math fun by choosing from our list of 38 super subtraction activities!

Your kiddos will make waves with this engaging subtraction activity that also gets them moving! Use tape to make a boat on your classroom floor and then place a few of your students on the boat. Have the rest of the class class count them and then remove some sailors from the boat to show subtraction! Learn More: The Kindergarten Smorgasboard This adorable hands-on subtraction activity provides lots of fun for your kiddies. The subtraction mat can be used with whole groups or as independent work in math centers.

You can assign your students numbers or have them choose the number of fish to start. Increase student engagement with locks and keys; it’ll even improve your little mathematicians’ fine motor skills! Simply label some locks with numbers and the keys with subtraction equations and let them work to solve the equations and open each lock with the correct key. This clever idea is sure to become a favorite instructional tool in your classroom! Our print-and-go math worksheets and printables are ideal for reinforcing key concepts, like addition, subtraction, multiplication, fractions, and so much more. These math resources were created for easy prep and effective practice.

Use them for centers, homework, or independent work. Save yourself time and boost math confidence in every one of your students! Inside this packet, you will find 30 activities for subtraction (0-20)! This packet is no prep, just print and go! These are designed to give you the ability to not only differentiate between the needs of each individual student but also give you different ways to teach the curriculum. We have included corresponding centers to the subtraction (0-20) worksheets and have broken them down into specific subject matter to make your job as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Take this Subtraction 0-20 Math Packet to your classroom TODAY and make struggling with math lessons a problem of yesterday! Would you share the response sheet for french fry subtraction? Could you please share the orange subtraction mat? Or give me access to this document? Hi Nicole. That product is Subtraction Work Mats with Recording Sheets from Spotlight on Kindergarten.

Here is the lInk http://spotlightonkindergarten.blogspot.com/2012/03/moving-on-to-subtraction-freebies.html Hope this helps. Those look like really fun activities to get students excited about learning how to subtract! I love that you use music to introduce your topic. Harry Kindergarten is a favorite of mine, too. Music makes things stick in the brain. I can’t seem to find the Subtraction Critters – it’s not on the link.

15 Easy Prep Subtraction Activities Education To The Core

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