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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2 Digit Subtraction Model Match-Up
Use a rigorous subtraction matching game to match subtraction word problems with number sentences, bar models, and solutions.
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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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Counting Back to Subtract – Maths Fact Game
Practise subtracting by counting backwards with a pair of printable subtraction games.
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Bunny Number Lines - Addition and Subtraction Task Cards
Hop like a bunny to practise addition and subtraction on a number line.
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Adding and Subtracting Decimals — Small Group Bingo Game
Review how to add and subtract decimals with a printable small group bingo game.
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Subtracting 2-Digit Numbers Task Cards
Practice 2-digit subtraction with this set of 18 task cards.
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Colouring by Larger Numbers - Operations
Colouring pages to be used when working with operations.
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Roll and Colour Worksheet - One More, One Less
An interactive worksheet to practise finding the number that is 1 more and 1 less than a given number.
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4-Digit Place Value Card Game - Race to 10 000
A fun game for students to play in small groups to consolidate their understanding of adding and subtracting in groups of 10, 100 and 1000.
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Plan a Halloween Party – Estimation Project
Plan your own Halloween party and practice estimating sums, differences and products of whole numbers and decimals with an engaging maths project!
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Spooky 3-Digit Subtraction - Year 3 Halloween Maths Game
Practise triple-digit subtraction with regrouping with an exciting hidden picture Halloween Maths Game.
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Cut & Paste Fact Family Worksheets
Use these fact family houses worksheet set to practise addition and subtraction fact families with your students, as well as fine motor skills.
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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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2-Digit Subtraction Using Bar Models - Task Cards
Review and assess your students’ subtraction skills with a set of 2-digit subtraction task cards focusing on using the part-part-whole model.
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Subtraction using Place Value Disks - Worksheet
Subtract 3-digit numbers using place value disks with a printable subtraction worksheet.
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Subtraction Strategies - Anchor Charts
Remind your students of the many subtraction strategies with a printable subtraction anchor chart display.
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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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Adding and Subtracting Integers - Tarsia Puzzle
Practise adding and subtracting integers with a printable Tarsia puzzle!
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Subtraction Strategy Work Mats
Practise using a variety of subtraction strategies to solve problems with a set of printable subtraction work mats.
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Number Line Task Cards - Superhero Addition and Subtraction Activity
Fly through addition and subtraction on a number line with an exciting Number Line Superhero task card activity.
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Classroom Spinner Template - Maths Equations
Classroom spinner template focusing on maths equations using addition and subtraction.
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Number Talks - Making Numbers Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 20 task cards.
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Mental Maths Subtraction Posters
Use this set of subtraction posters in your classroom when teaching different mental maths strategies.
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Subtraction by Regrouping Poster
Break down the steps to use regrouping to find a solution to a subtraction problem with a printable subtraction anchor chart.
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Number Matching Puzzle - Subtraction
A hands-on game to play when learning about subtracting numbers.
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Fact Families Maths Group Activity
Use this hands-on addition and subtraction strategy activity in your next guided math group lesson!
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4 Digit Subtraction - Flip It Card Game
Practise subtracting 4-digit numbers with and without regrouping with a fun game of Subtraction Flip It!
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100 More, 100 Less Worksheets - Cut and Paste Maths Activity
Use an understanding of place value to determine a number 100 more or less than a number with a pair of cut-and-paste maths worksheets.
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3 Digit Subtraction Game- Mathzee!
Practise subtracting 3-digit numbers with and without regrouping with a fun game of Subtraction Mathzee!
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Bar Model Subtraction - Maths Colour By Number Worksheet
Bring some spooky maths fun into the classroom with a Halloween colour-by-number worksheet focused on subtraction using a bar model.
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3 Digit Subtraction Worksheets - Subtraction Strategy Practise
Review and assess your students’ subtraction skills with a pack of printable worksheets covering various strategies for 3-digit subtraction.
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Subtraction Using MAB Blocks - Worksheet
Subtract two-digit numbers using MAB blocks with a printable subtraction worksheet.