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!
- Plus Plan
Christmas Activity Mazes – Addition and Subtraction
Navigate these Christmas maze worksheets with some simple addition and subtraction to keep those minds active!
- Plus Plan
Dominate the Dragon – Mental Maths Worksheets
Capture your students' interest in maths drills for all four operations with these fun dragon-themed differentiated maths worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Build a Board Game – Maths STEM Project
Improve maths skills and spark creativity by having students plan, design, and create their own maths-based board games.
- Plus Plan
Mixed Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Escape Room
Search for a lost treasure in our mixed addition and subtraction word problems escape room that will give your students varied practice adding and subtracting one and two-digit numbers.
- Plus Plan
Candy Cane Activity - 2 Digit Subtraction Tarsia
Practise two digit subtraction with regrouping with a Tarsia Puzzle candy cane activity.
- Plus Plan
Addition and Subtraction Minute Maths Booklet
A maths warm-up booklet with ten pages of addition and subtraction questions.
- Plus Plan
Multi-Step Addition and Subtraction Word Problem Cards – Middle Primary
Solve multi-step addition and subtraction word problems with a set of printable maths task cards.
- Plus Plan
Addition and Subtraction Colour by Number Worksheets
Combine math and art with our addition and subtraction colour by number worksheets that feature problems with solutions up to 20.
- Plus Plan
Money Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Worksheets
Use our money addition and subtraction word problems worksheets to give your students differentiated practice modelling a variety of one and two-digit word problems.
- Plus Plan
Interactive Maths Review – Activities for Years 5, 6 and 7
Review important maths concepts covered in years 5, 6 and 7 with a student-led interactive activity.
- Plus Plan
Year 5 Mental Maths Drills Workbook
Get the mental strategies flowing with this ten-page mental maths booklet covering the four operations.
- Plus Plan
Year 6 Mental Maths Drills Workbook
Incorporate this mental maths drills booklet into your maths lesson warm-up routine.
- Plus Plan
Number and Place Value Worksheets - Year 2
14 number worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
- Plus Plan
Single Digit Addition and Subtraction Worksheets
Share these single digit addition and subtraction worksheets with your foundation students to give them practice adding and subtracting with a wide variety of representations.
- Plus Plan
Number Patterns Year 4 Worksheet Set
Use this number patterns year 4 worksheet set to give your students practice with multiplication and division number patterns.
- Plus Plan
Jump Strategy: Subtraction on a Number LIne – Worksheets
Practice subtracting two-digit numbers with regrouping using a number line and the jump strategy with a pack of differentiated worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Word Problem Worksheets - Year 5 and Year 6
4 mixed operations word problem worksheets with answers.
- Free Plan
Linking Addition and Subtraction Worksheet
Explore the relationship between addition and subtraction with a fact family worksheet.
- Free Plan
Making Monsters Subtraction - Worksheet
Have some spooky subtraction fun with three differentiated Halloween subtraction worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Digital Pixel Art - Adding and Subtracting Integers
Practise adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers with an exciting spreadsheet pixel art activity.
- Plus Plan
Addition and Subtraction Problem Solving Task Cards
Practice solving 1- and 2-step word problems by adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers with this set of 16 task cards.
- Plus Plan
Addition and Subtraction Word Problems - Match Game
Practise reading, modelling, and solving addition and subtraction word problems with a matching activity.
- Plus Plan
Adding and Subtracting Word Problems Interactive Task Cards
Engage your students with this interactive adding and subtracting word problems activity that features a variety of problem types.
- Plus Plan
One More, One Less - Worksheet
Practise foundational addition and subtraction facts using the concepts of one more and one less.
- Plus Plan
The Subtraction Algorithm – Teaching Presentation
Use this animated Instructional Slide Deck with your students when teaching how to use the subtraction algorithm with regrouping.
- Plus Plan
Fact Family Maths Blast Off - Addition and Subtraction
Demonstrate an understanding of addition and subtraction fact families with a fun cut and sort activity.
- Plus Plan
Subtraction Using MAB Blocks - Worksheet
Subtract two-digit numbers using MAB blocks with a printable subtraction worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Multiplication and Division Word Problems Task Cards (Facts of 1-12)
Use a range of strategies to solve multiplication and division problems for times tables facts 1-12.
- Plus Plan
Division as Repeated Subtraction Worksheet Set
Share this division as repeated subtraction worksheet set with your students to teach division by building on subtraction concepts they are already familiar with.
- Plus Plan
Subtraction Fact Fluency Assessments
Assess and track subtraction fact fluency with a printable Number Facts Fluency program for subtraction.
- Plus Plan
Subtraction within 20 - Colour-by-Number Worksheet
Reveal the mystery picture by solving the subtraction problems with a colour-by-number worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Secret Code Number Line - Worksheet
Crack the number line code with five number line codebreaker worksheets to practice number identification, addition, and subtraction.