Subtraction Teaching Resources
Browse subtraction worksheets, games and more teacher-created activities for your lesson plans!
Aligned with the Australian maths curriculum, including version 9.0, each resource in this subtraction collection has been carefully reviewed and curated by our expert teachers to ensure it's ready to use with your students!
Browse printables and digital activities for teaching students how to take away, use subtraction to compare quantities, subtract two-digit numbers with regrouping, solve word problems and so much more!
Whether you're teaching your year 1 class to add and subtract within 20 or your year 3 students how to fluently subtract within 1,000, or you're explaining to a year 6 group how to add or subtract integers on a number line, there are plenty of options for your planning.
New to teaching subtraction, or just looking for new ways to engage your students? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a kid-friendly definition to explain what it means to subtract, plus a look at the subtraction sign and more maths vocabulary that will help you plan your lessons.
What Is Subtraction? A Kid-Friendly Definition
If you're teaching early years students and introducing subtraction for the very first time, you may need a definition that can help you explain what it means to subtract numbers.
Subtraction is a maths operation we can use when we have a number and we want to find out what's left when we take away another number.
For example, let's imagine you have 5 toys, and your friend takes 2 of them home. How can you determine how many toys are left? You can use subtraction!
If you subtract 2 from the number 5, you are left with 3.
What Is the Subtraction Sign Called?
There are several maths symbols and signs that help us understand the relationships between numbers in our maths problems. Students should learn early on to identify the subtraction symbol, which is called the minus sign.
The minus sign (-) looks like a short line.
When it is placed between two numbers, it lets us know that we should subtract the number on the right from the number on the left.
For example, look at the subtraction problem below:
- 6-3
In this problem, the minus sign tells us that you will need to subtract — or take away — 3 from the number 6.
What Is the Answer to a Subtraction Problem Called?
Teaching maths in primary school involves teaching a significant amount of maths vocabulary!
When it comes to subtraction, one word kids need to learn early on is 'difference' — this is the word we use for the answer to a subtraction problem.
What Are the Numbers Called in Subtraction?
Words like subtraction, difference and minus are commonly used in the classroom, but what about the numbers in a subtraction problem?
These are not typically taught to students, but it can be helpful to keep the names of the numbers in a subtraction problem in your back pocket anyway!
- Minuend — This is the number on the left in a subtraction problem. It is the number that you are 'taking away' from.
- Subtrahend — This is the number on the right in a subtraction problem. It is the number that you are 'taking away.'
Teaching Kids How to Subtract — 3 Fun Ideas From Our Teacher Team
Looking for some tips on teaching subtraction? This collection of resources is full of ideas from our expert maths teachers, but we didn't stop there.
Here are some tips that may help you teach kids how to subtract and build their fluency!
1. Focus on Missing Addends
Missing addend addition is sometimes easier for kids to grasp when tackling subtraction problems.
For example, rather than 17 - 8, gear your students to think, '8 plus what equals 17?'
2. Teach Regrouping With Base-10 Blocks
Students need to understand they aren't changing the value of the minuend in the subtraction problem, just what it looks like. For example, 42 is still 42, even if it's represented as 30 + 12 instead of 40 + 2.
This is where it helps to teach the concept of regrouping using Base-10 or MAB blocks.
3. Use Subtraction Rhymes
Using fun rhymes as mnemonics in subtraction can help your student remember the rules. Here's one of our favourites for teaching students subtraction with regrouping:
More on top?
No need to stop!
More on the floor?
Go next door.
Add 10 more.
If the numbers are the same, then 0 is the name!
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Missing Addend Avenue - Find the Missing Number Worksheet
Practise using various subtraction strategies with a fun dice-roll math maze.
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Emoji Equation Riddles - Determine the Unknown
Determine the value of an unknown variable in an equation with printable Emoji Maths Riddle task cards.
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Subtraction Using the Split Strategy - Teaching Slides
Demonstrate using the split strategy for subtraction with an instructional slide presentation.
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Compensation Strategy for Subtraction - Teaching Slides
Teach your students to use the compensation strategy for subtraction with an interactive teaching slide deck.
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Number Talks - Balancing Equations Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 40 task cards.
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Maths Symbols Posters with Vocabulary
A set of posters depicting the vocabulary related to each mathematical operation.
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Trade It! Subtraction with Regrouping Game
Play a fun, hands-on board game in groups when learning to solve subtraction equations that require regrouping.
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Addition and Subtraction Word Problem Task Cards (Numbers 1-9)
Use a range of addition and subtraction strategies to solve twenty single-digit word problems.
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Basic Subtraction Word Problems - Worksheet
Solve subtraction word problems by drawing picture models with a printable subtraction worksheet.
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The Subtraction Algorithm – Teaching Presentation
Use this animated PowerPoint with your students when learning how to use the subtraction algorithm and borrowing.
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Subtracting 2-Digit Numbers Worksheet
Practice 2-digit subtraction with regrouping with this drill and practice worksheet.
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Rainbow Number Facts Board Game
A fun, hands-on board game to consolidate students' understanding of the 'Friends of 10'.
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Five Wonders Theme Park: Induction Booklet – Project
A project where students study the Five Wonders Theme Park stimulus poster to understand and use real world learning skills.
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Fact Family Find and Flip - Addition and Subtraction (Upper)
Addition and subtraction game cards demonstrating the relationship between fact families.
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Fact Family Find and Flip - Addition and Subtraction (Middle)
Addition and subtraction game cards demonstrating the relationship between fact families.
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Dinosaur Maths - Addition & Subtraction - V2
Solve the addition and subtraction sums to colour in the dinosaur.
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Place Value to the Thousands Place - Maths Mats
Practise place value concepts, addition and subtraction with a printable set of place value charts.
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Subtraction Using MAB Blocks - Worksheet
Subtract two-digit numbers using MAB blocks with a printable subtraction worksheet.
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Subtraction within 20 - Colour-by-Number Worksheet
Reveal the mystery picture by solving the subtraction problems with a colour-by-number worksheet.
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Secret Code Number Line - Worksheet
Crack the number line code with five number line codebreaker worksheets to practice number identification, addition, and subtraction.
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Addition and Subtraction with Decimals – Task Cards
Practise adding and subtracting multi-digit decimals with this set of 16 task cards.
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Fact Family Find and Flip - Addition and Subtraction (Lower)
Addition and subtraction game cards demonstrating the relationship between fact families.
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Mathematics Vocabulary Posters
A teaching resource to help students identify the symbols and associated vocabulary for mathematical operations.
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Number and Place Value Worksheets - Year 3
16 number worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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Adding and Subtracting Within 10 - Word Problem Task Cards
Solve word problems practicing addition and subtraction to ten with a set of printable task cards.
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Colour by Number - Subtraction Task Cards
Practice subtracting single and double-digit numbers with a set of subtraction color by number task cards.
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Making Tens Subtraction Worksheet
Partition numbers to subtract with a printable subtraction worksheet.
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Maths Action Words – Keyword Sign Free Printables
Help your students decipher maths word problems with a set of printable maths keyword sign free printables.
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Think Addition - Fact Family Worksheets
Use addition to solve subtraction problems with this worksheet.
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Number Talk Task Cards - Ten Frames
Build number sense skills with this set of 30 ten and double ten frame maths talk task cards.
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Pirate's Plunder - Number Line Subtraction Game
Practise using the jump strategy for subtraction from 20 with an exciting pirate-themed maths game.
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Mental Maths Subtraction Posters
Use this set of subtraction posters in your classroom when teaching different mental maths strategies.