Adding to Solve Subtraction Problems Worksheet

Subtraction gets much easier when a child learns to think about addition. This Adding to Solve Subtraction Problems Worksheet teaches first graders one of the most useful early math strategies: instead of counting backwards, they ask what number they would add to reach the total. When a student meets 14 − 6, they think, “6 plus what makes 14?” That one question turns an unfamiliar subtraction fact into an addition fact the child already knows, and it builds the big idea behind first grade math — that addition and subtraction are two sides of the same relationship.

Part A gives students six matched pairs. Each card shows an addition fact with a missing addend, such as 8 + ___ = 15, and directly beneath it the matching subtraction fact, 15 − 8 = ___. Students fill in the addition blank first, then write that same number in the subtraction blank, so the link between the two facts is impossible to miss. A worked example sits at the top of the page as a model. Part B finishes with a short story problem about a boy collecting shells at the beach, so students use the strategy in a real situation. Use this adding up to subtract worksheet for guided practice, morning work, a math center task, or homework after a lesson on fact families.

What’s Included

• 1 print-ready PDF worksheet
• Answer key
• 6 paired addition-and-subtraction problems plus 1 story problem (13 blanks in all)

Three things make this Adding to Solve Subtraction Problems Worksheet effective. First, it builds fact fluency without drill: every subtraction fact is anchored to an addition fact the student already has, so recall gets faster instead of slower. Second, it develops real number sense, because finding a missing addend means thinking about how numbers combine rather than counting on fingers. Third, the paired layout gives instant feedback — a student who fills in both blanks and notices the same number in each has just proved the strategy to themselves. Every fact stays within 20, which keeps attention on the thinking rather than on large numbers.

Away from the page, act the strategy out. Hide a handful of counters under a cup, show your child the rest, and ask how many are hiding. Build fact family triangles on index cards with three numbers in the corners, then take turns naming all four facts. Play a quick round of “what is missing?” along a number line, or roll two dice, name the total, and race to find the partner number. Reading a story problem aloud and asking your child to draw the situation before writing an equation also helps a first grader see why adding up works.

Related Resources

• Fact Family Worksheet
• Finding the Missing Number Worksheet
• True or False Addition and Subtraction Worksheet
• Adding 10 Song (Have Fun Teaching on YouTube)