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.
This subtraction with 6-7-8-9 differences activity is a snowy card sort for kindergarten and 1st grade students. Solve each fact, sort it under its snowflake, and check with the answer key included.
This subtraction with 2-3-4-5 differences activity is a winter card sort for kindergarten and 1st grade. Children solve facts within 10, sort each card under its snowflake, and check with the answer key included.
Three numbers, one happy family!
Kindergartners learn that addition and subtraction are connected. A fact family is a set of three numbers that work together, like 2, 3 and 5. Kids see that 2 + 3 = 5 and 3 + 2 = 5, and then that taking parts away works too: 5 - 2 = 3. They use counters, fingers and pictures to show how a whole can be split into parts and put back together, mostly with numbers up to 10. The click comes when a child says, "If 3 and 2 make 5, then 5 take away 2 has to be 3!"
Little mathematicians need to see and touch the parts and the whole. These moves make fact families feel like a puzzle, not a list.
Show 6 counters, hide some under a cup and leave 4 out. Ask, "How many are hiding?" Kids figure out that 4 and something make 6. Turning subtraction into a missing part shows how the facts connect.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withSubtraction as an Unknown Addend ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Use small differences first and have kids tell a story for each fact. "I had 5 apples, I ate 2, now I have 3." Talking it out helps them see addition and subtraction as two sides of the same story.
Why it works: when kids say the precise math words, their understanding gets sharper, a recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
Try it withSubtraction With 2-3-4-5 Differences ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Once kids are comfortable, move to differences of 6 through 9 and turn it into a game: who can find all the facts for a family? A quick round each day keeps it playful.
Why it works: in a well-known study, a few short sessions of a simple number board game measurably boosted young children's number skills (Ramani and Siegler, 2008).
Try it withSubtraction With 6-7-8-9 Differences ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Teacher favorites right now: Subtraction as an Unknown Addend Activity, Subtraction With 6-7-8-9 Differences Activity and Subtraction With 2-3-4-5 Differences Activity.
A fact family is a group of three numbers that make related addition and subtraction facts. For 2, 3 and 5: 2 + 3 = 5, 3 + 2 = 5, 5 - 2 = 3 and 5 - 3 = 2.
Many kindergarten classes introduce the idea with numbers up to 10, focusing on parts and wholes. Full fact family work usually grows in first grade.
Use real objects. Show a whole, split it into two parts and put it back together. Then write the matching facts. Counters, blocks and fingers work great.
Use snacks or toys. Put out 5 crackers, split them into two piles and ask what facts you can make. Then eat a few and talk about what is left.
Loved by 2 million teachers & families
Printables, songs and games for every subject, Preschool through 6th. Ready to teach today, and kids beg for more.
