Subtraction
Taking away, finding the difference, and borrowing.
- 22
- Games
- 39
- Worksheets
- 9
- Grades covered
What You'll Learn
Subtraction answers two different-feeling questions with the same operation: how many are left after some are taken away, and what is the difference between two amounts. Children usually meet take-away first and find difference harder, because nothing is physically removed.
It is reliably the harder of the two first operations. Counting back is more error-prone than counting on, the language is less consistent, and borrowing across a zero trips up children who handle carrying in addition without difficulty.
Practise Subtraction Through Games
Interactive practice with instant feedback — free, ad-free and playable in the browser.
5-7 · memory
Addition Bond Flip
Children flip cards to find two numbers that add up to 20, building number bonds and quick addition.
8-10 · escape
Rainforest Rescue Escape
Solve a chain of locked maths puzzles to complete a rainforest conservation mission, for ages 8 to 10.
2-4 · arcade
One Less Balloon Pop
Pop the balloon showing one less within 10 to build early subtraction sense, for ages 2 to 4.
2-4 · builder
Part Part Whole Boxes
Fill the missing box in a part, part, whole bar model to split totals up to 10, for ages 2 to 4.
2-4 · drag-drop
Take Away Teddy Picnic
Work out how many teddies are left when some go home, building take away within 10 for ages 2 to 4.
5-7 · puzzle
Bridging Ten Bridge
Add by making ten first: split the second number so 8 plus 5 becomes 8 plus 2 plus 3. For ages 5 to 7.
5-7 · builder
Number Bond Rainbow to 10
Build every pair of numbers that makes 10, arc by arc, as a number bond rainbow. For ages 5 to 7.
5-7 · memory
Fact Family Triangle Flip
Flip cards to match each addition fact to the take away that undoes it, for ages 5 to 7.
5-7 · arcade
Subtraction Count Back Hop
Hop back along the track to subtract and tap the number you land on. For ages 5 to 7.
5-7 · quiz
Missing Addend Detective
Find the hidden number in equations like 7 plus what equals 12, for ages 5 to 7.
5-7 · puzzle
Column Sub Exchange Cave
Two-digit column subtraction with exchanging, written out as a grid to fill. For ages 5 to 7.
5-7 · simulation
Inverse Check Machine
Check whether a subtraction answer is right by adding it back. For ages 5 to 7.
Showing 12 of 22. Browse all games
Practise Subtraction With Printable Worksheets
Every worksheet prints as a clean A4 PDF with a separate answer key.
5-7 · match
Number Bond Match (to 20)
Match the pairs of numbers that bond to make 20. A Grade 2 number-bonds matching activity with answer keys.
5 levels · PDF + answer key
5-7 · true-false
Is This Sum Correct? True/False
Decide whether each addition or subtraction sum is correct. A Grade 1 reasoning worksheet with true/false answers and answer keys.
5 levels · PDF + answer key
5-7 · number-line
Number Line Subtraction Jumps
Show subtraction as backward jumps on a number line. A Grade 1 visual subtraction worksheet with answer keys.
5 levels · PDF + answer key
5-7 · word-problem
Measurement Word Problems
Solve measurement word problems about length, comparing and subtracting amounts. A Grade 2 worksheet with answer keys.
5 levels · PDF + answer key
8-10 · fill-in
Decimal Operations Fill-in
Add and subtract decimals and write the answer. A Grade 4–5 decimal-operations worksheet with five levels and answer keys.
5 levels · PDF + answer key
8-10 · multiple-choice
Fraction Operations MCQ
Add and subtract fractions and choose the correct answer from four options. A Grade 4–5 fractions worksheet with answer keys.
5 levels · PDF + answer key
8-10 · grid
Division Grid 8×8
Complete an 8×8 fact grid to practise division facts. A Grade 3–4 division-fluency grid with answer keys.
5 levels · PDF + answer key
11-12 · word-problem
Percentage Change Word Problems
Solve real-world percentage increase and decrease problems. A Grade 7 percentages worksheet with answer keys.
5 levels · PDF + answer key
11-12 · number-line
Directed Number Line Operations
Add and subtract integers using a directed number line from −10 to +10. A Grade 6–7 directed numbers worksheet with answer keys.
5 levels · PDF + answer key
2-4 · match
One Less Than Match
Draw a line from each number to the number that is one less. Five levels of printable matching practice with answer keys.
5 levels · PDF + answer key
2-4 · color-by-number
Take Away Colour by Count
Take one away from each number, then colour the square by the answer. Five levels of printable colour-by-number subtraction with answer keys.
5 levels · PDF + answer key
2-4 · fill-in
Part Whole Circle Fill
Split a whole into two parts and write the missing part. Five levels of printable part-part-whole practice with answer keys.
5 levels · PDF + answer key
Showing 12 of 39. Browse all worksheets
Subtraction by Grade
Subtraction appears across several grades on this site, with the skills becoming more advanced over time. Jump to a grade page for a broader set of activities at that level.
How to Use Subtraction Practice
If subtraction facts are shaky, check addition facts first — they are usually the real gap. A child who knows 8 + 6 = 14 has everything needed for 14 − 6 but may not have realised the two are the same fact.
A number line helps enormously with "difference" questions, where nothing is being removed. When borrowing goes wrong, it is worth watching one problem worked out loud: the error is almost always in the recording rather than the reasoning.
Want a broader overview?
Browse Math by Grade for a full set of age-appropriate activities rather than a single strand.
Browse Math by GradeWant to track progress?
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Subtraction finds what is left after taking an amount away, or the difference between two amounts. Both use the same operation even though they feel like different questions.
- Counting backwards is harder to do accurately than counting forwards, the wording varies more, and "difference" problems involve no physical removal, which makes them less intuitive. Finding it harder is the norm rather than a warning sign.
- Borrowing — also called regrouping or exchanging — is what you do when the digit you are subtracting is larger than the one above it, so you exchange a ten from the next column. It usually appears once children are working with two-digit numbers.
- These are the same calculation phrased differently, and the second is genuinely harder because nothing is taken away. Number-line practice usually connects the two, as does asking "how far apart are they?" instead.
- Every subtraction fact is an addition fact read backwards. Practising them as families — 8 + 6, 6 + 8, 14 − 6, 14 − 8 — is usually quicker than learning subtraction separately.
- Yes. Every worksheet on this site prints as an A4 PDF with a separate answer key, free and with no account.
Ready to Practise Subtraction?
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