15 Fun And Free Ideas For Teaching Subtraction

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 30, 2025, 9:44 AM

15 fun and free ideas for teaching subtraction

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. Great activities!

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 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. Once a child learns to count, adding and subtracting is not far behind. Manipulating numbers is how we make math work for us.

But cementing that understanding with your students is a tricky task. Bringing a few engaging classroom games and fun activities for students can help them learn how to work with numbers. And once they can add and subtract, they’re set up for a whole world of math learning. Let’s explore some of the best methods for teaching subtraction! Up to this point, numbers have always gone up. When kids learn to count, they start with one, counting up until they reach the correct number of objects.

And learning to add in the early years is often just more counting up. Then subtraction comes along and students may have never thought about numbers going back down. Subtraction requires a stronger number sense than addition. But once your students have a concrete understanding of number values and plenty of addition and subtraction practice, they’ll morph into master math manipulators! 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!

I've been (slowly) writing blog posts for different math topics that include a variety of low-prep ideas, center activities, and digital materials. I want to make prepping & planning a little easier for teachers by rounding up materials in one spot! Check out ideas and materials for teaching subtraction: Crafts:You can quickly make subtraction crafts by printing clipart (or just drawing them!) of animals & things they eat. Write a word problem and you're set! There are so many possibilities (monkeys and bananas, horses and apples, dogs and bones, etc.) and students will love it!

Digital Materials:I'm still using a variety of digital activities. I use a few websites like Brainzy/ Education, Boom Learning, and ST Math for math games & materials (not sponsored, just what I love!) and I also assign activities to my students through Google... If you loved this blog post of freebies & ideas, check out my Activities & Freebies for Teaching Fractions and my Activities & Freebies for Teaching Addition blog posts! **CLICK HERE to get access to my free resource library (you'll need to sign up for my email list to get the password to the free resource library). Then follow the links & directions on the page. Do not "request access to edit" any materials.

I will not respond to emails or edit request messages. You must click "make a copy" or "download" directly from Google Drive. My free resource library also has samples of many of these materials. Home » Cognitive Development » Activities » 16 Playfull Subtraction Activities For Kids Subtraction, often the first step into the world of taking things apart in mathematics, doesn’t have to be a source of tears or confusion. I firmly believe that young minds thrive when learning is infused with playfulness and tangible experiences.

That’s why we’ve diligently compiled a treasure trove of engaging subtraction activities, each designed to make learning an absolute joy. From manipulating colorful pom-poms to launching imaginary flies for a hungry spider, these ideas transform subtraction from a daunting task into an exciting adventure. Get ready to witness your child confidently grasp the core of subtraction, all while having a fantastic time! That’s precisely why we’ve curated a collection of 16 easy and imaginative subtraction activities designed to transform “taking away” into an exciting adventure. Just when your students have started to get the hang of addition, it's time to have them work their brains in the opposite way with subtraction. It can be tricky for students to grasp the concept of “taking away” when they're used to adding numbers together.

These engaging subtraction activities for kindergarten will help your students train their brains to master this key math skill. This subtraction activity for kindergarten is engaging and so much fun for students. You can play in whole group or small groups. To play subtraction bowling, simply set up 10 plastic party cups or toilet paper tubes in the shape of bowling pins. Stagger them in rows, 4 in the back row, then 3, 2, and 1 “bowling pin” in the front. Use a small ball to go bowling.

Students will take turns rolling the ball to see how many bowling pins they knock over. Each student will write the subtraction problem on whiteboards and read the subtraction sentence aloud. For example, if one student knocks down 5 bowling pins, all students will write 10-5=5. This activity works great if played in an open area of your classroom or even in the hallway. You can also grab your own bowling set to keep in your classroom. You could use this for several activities, including subtraction bowling, addition bowling, number recognition, color recognition, indoor recess, and more.

15 Fun And Free Ideas For Teaching Subtraction

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