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 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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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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Number Bond Subtraction - Task Cards
Boost subtraction skills with printable subtraction number bonds task cards.
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2-Digit Subtraction Game - Dominoes
Use this printable set of double-digit subtraction dominoes to practice a variety of subtraction strategies.
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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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Jump Strategy for Subtraction – PowerPoint
Teach your students to subtract two-digit numbers using the jump strategy with an instructional teaching presentation.
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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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St Patrick's Day Digital Maths Activity
Celebrate St Patrick’s Day with a spot of Maths fun!
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Valentine Bingo - 2-Digit Addition and Subtraction Game
Add and subtract two digit numbers to win this fun Valentine’s Day Bingo Game!
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Rearranging Parts Worksheet
Rearrange the parts of a sum to form new number sentences with this worksheet.
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Partitioning Teaching Presentation
Introduce the partitioning strategy to your students with this teaching presentation.
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Colouring by Larger Numbers - Operations
Colouring pages to be used when working with operations.
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Plus One and Minus One Math Machine Worksheet
A worksheet to practise generating a number that is one more than or one less than another number.
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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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Colouring by Numbers - Operations
Colouring pages to be used when working with operations.
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Equation Tails Active Learning
A whole class active game that encourages learning through a physical setting.
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Dodging Equations Active Learning
A whole class active game that encourages learning through a physical setting.
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Number and Place Value Worksheets - Year 3
16 number worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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Jump Strategy Subtraction Game
Learn how to use the jump strategy to solve subtraction problems with a fun subtraction game.
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Digital Halloween Maths Activity
Save time writing your October maths lesson plans with a digital Halloween math activity for foundation year students.
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10 More, 10 Less Differentiated Mazes
Delight your students with this maze challenge, to practise calculating 10 more or 10 less than a value within 120.
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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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Decomposing Numbers to a Ten – Interactive PowerPoint
Challenge students to decompose numbers to mentally solve two-digit subtraction problems with a teaching presentation.
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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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Counting Back to Subtract – Maths Fact Game
Practise subtracting by counting backwards with a pair of printable subtraction games.
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Subtraction using Place Value Disks- Interactive Slides
Practise subtracting multiples of 100 using place value disks with an interactive drag-and-drop activity.
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2-Digit Subtraction with Regrouping - Year 3 Task Cards
Practise using various strategies to solve 2-digit subtraction problems with a set of task cards.
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2 Digit Subtraction with Place Value Disks - Matching Activity
Use place value disks to solve 2-digit subtraction problems with a matching activity.
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3-Digit Subtraction Strategies - Task Cards
Practise 3-digit subtraction strategies with a set of 24 subtraction task cards.
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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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Subtraction Strategies - Ten Frame Printable Bingo
Practise using ten frames to subtract single-digit numbers in a whole-class bingo game.