Skip to content
Start My 3 Free Days $0 today · cancel anytime

1st Grade Subtraction Resources

76 1st grade subtraction resources: 51 worksheets, 20 activities and 5 Common Core Lessons. How teachers use these

1st Grade Subtraction Resources

76 1st grade subtraction resources: 51 worksheets, 20 activities and 5 Common Core Lessons. How teachers use these

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeAdding and Subtracting Within 20 Worksheet

This adding and subtracting within 20 worksheet gives first graders mixed addition and subtraction fact practice with a helpful number line. Includes a complete answer key for quick, no-prep math review.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeAdding and Subtracting to 20 Worksheet

This adding and subtracting to 20 worksheet gives 1st graders ten mixed addition and subtraction equations to solve within 20. Answer key included — perfect for quick, no-prep math fact practice at home or school.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeTen More Ten Less Worksheet

This Ten More Ten Less Worksheet gives 1st graders eight quick problems to find ten more and ten less than a two-digit number. Includes an answer key for fast, no-prep place value practice.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeCounting Back to Subtract Worksheet

This counting back to subtract worksheet gives 1st graders number-line hops, six equations within 20, and a word problem, with an answer key included, so subtraction becomes a quick, confident count.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeFinding the Missing Number Worksheet

This finding the missing number worksheet gives first graders focused practice solving for the unknown number in addition and subtraction equations within 20. Includes an answer key — a quick, no-prep way to build number sense and fact fluency.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeComparing Numbers Subtraction Worksheet

This comparing numbers subtraction worksheet has 1st graders count two groups of pictures, write each number, and subtract to find how many more. Answer key included for fast, no-prep practice.

Activity
Activity1st GradeFinding 10 More 10 Less Activity

This finding 10 more 10 less activity helps 1st and 2nd grade children use a hundred chart to find 10 more and 10 less. Practice page and answer key included.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeTrue or False Addition and Subtraction Worksheet

This true or false addition and subtraction worksheet helps 1st Grade students decide whether each equation is balanced, with an answer key included. A quick, clear way to build equal sign sense.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeWord Problem Practice Worksheet

This word problem practice worksheet gives 1st graders five real-life addition and subtraction problems to solve within 20. An answer key is included, so checking work takes seconds.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeValentine's Day Graphing Worksheet

This Valentine's Day Graphing Worksheet has 1st Grade students solve four subtraction facts, fill in a bar for each answer, and read the graph they built. Answer key included, so checking takes seconds.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeCount Up to Subtract Worksheet

This Count Up to Subtract Worksheet gives 1st Grade students a quick strategy for subtracting within 20 using paired equations, a number line, and two word problems. An answer key is included.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeMake It True Missing Number Addition Subtraction Worksheet

This Make It True Missing Number Addition Subtraction Worksheet gives 1st graders ten equations to complete by filling in the missing number. Answer key included for fast, no-prep practice.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeBasic Word Problems Worksheet

A basic word problems worksheet for 1st Grade, with four illustrated stories that ask children to add or subtract within 20 and write the answer with its unit. Answer key included for fast, no-prep problem-solving practice.

Activity
Activity1st GradeSubtraction as an Unknown Addend Activity

This subtraction as an unknown addend activity helps K through 2nd grade students solve subtraction within 20 by matching each fact to its addition fact card. Answer key included.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradePumpkin Subtraction Worksheet

This pumpkin subtraction worksheet gives 1st Grade students fall practice subtracting within 20, with ten boxed facts, four missing number problems, and an answer key for quick checking.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeWriting Subtraction Sentences Worksheets

These Writing Subtraction Sentences Worksheets give 1st Grade students four story problems to turn into number sentences, with a full answer key included, so word problems stop feeling like a guessing game.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeSubtraction Word Problem Worksheet

This Subtraction Word Problem Worksheet gives 1st Grade students four story problems within 20 to draw and solve, with an answer key included, so subtraction finally feels like something they can see.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeAdding to Solve Subtraction Problems Worksheet

This Adding to Solve Subtraction Problems Worksheet helps 1st graders solve subtraction facts within 20 by finding the missing addend. Six paired problems and a story problem, with an answer key included, build quick and confident fact fluency.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeSingle Digit Subtraction Worksheet

This single digit subtraction worksheet gives 1st grade students twelve column subtraction problems within ten, plus an answer key, so they build the fact fluency every later math skill depends on.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeNumber Line Jump Backwards and Solve Worksheet

This number line jump backwards and solve worksheet helps 1st grade students subtract within 20 by counting back and jumping to the difference. An answer key is included for quick checking.

From our teachers' playbook

Take away, count back, think addition

What do 1st graders learn about subtraction?

First graders move from "take away" stories to real strategies. By the end of the year they subtract within 20, and they learn that subtraction can mean taking away or finding a difference: "Sam has 9 stickers and Ava has 6. How many more does Sam have?" They count back on a number line, make a ten, and use the facts they already know: 13 − 5 = ? becomes "5 plus what makes 13?" They also find 10 less than a two-digit number in their heads, like 47 − 10 = 37. The big click is seeing that addition and subtraction are partners, not strangers.

Our favorite ways to teach subtraction in 1st grade

These moves take kids from counting on fingers to thinking like mathematicians.

Act out the story first

Hand kids 12 counters and tell a story: "12 frogs on a log, 4 hop away." They push 4 frogs off and count what is left. Then they write the number sentence. Acting it out before writing it shows kids what the minus sign really means.

Why it works: going from real objects to pictures to symbols is a core recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.

Counting Back to Subtract WorksheetTry it withCounting Back to Subtract WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Hop back on the number line

Draw a big number line on the floor with tape and let a child stand on 15. Call "minus 3!" and they hop back three spaces. Then move to the paper number line. Seeing the jumps go backward makes "counting back" make sense.

Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).

Number Line Jump Backwards and Solve WorksheetTry it withNumber Line Jump Backwards and Solve WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Think addition

When kids see 14 − 6, ask "6 plus what makes 14?" Have them explain their thinking to a partner. Talking it through helps them use the addition facts they already know, which is faster and more reliable than counting back by ones.

Why it works: using clear, consistent math words out loud is one of the U.S. Department of Education's recommendations for elementary math.

Adding to Solve Subtraction Problems WorksheetTry it withAdding to Solve Subtraction Problems WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Questions parents and teachers ask about 1st grade subtraction

What subtraction should a 1st grader know?

First graders subtract within 20 and should know facts within 10 quickly. They also find 10 less than a two-digit number and solve one-step subtraction word problems.

How do I teach subtraction to a 1st grader?

Start with real objects and simple "take away" stories, then move to drawings and a number line. Once kids understand the idea, teach them to think addition: for 9 − 4, ask "4 plus what makes 9?"

Is it okay for my 1st grader to count on fingers?

Yes, fingers are a normal step! Over the year, help your child move to strategies like counting back from the bigger number, making ten, and using known facts so they rely on fingers less.

Why is subtraction harder than addition for kids?

Subtraction asks kids to count backward and think about a missing part, which is harder than counting forward. Linking each subtraction fact to its addition partner makes it much easier.

What is a fact family?

A fact family is a set of related facts using the same three numbers, like 3 + 5 = 8, 5 + 3 = 8, 8 − 5 = 3 and 8 − 3 = 5. Fact families show kids how addition and subtraction work together.