Subtraction worksheets
Not sure what comes next? Start with the first sheet that feels comfortable.
Picture subtraction
Preschool–Kindergarten
Subtract by taking away countable pictures
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In teaching order
Subtraction worksheets, easiest first
Each sheet assumes the one above it is comfortable. Start where your child is, not at the top.
A simple way through subtraction
Subtraction means two different things that look identical on paper. Taking away — I had eight, three are gone — is the version children meet first, and picture subtraction keeps it physical by letting a child cross out and count what remains. Difference — how much more is eight than three — is the same written problem asking a different question, and children who only ever meet take-away are the ones who freeze on word problems later.
Why this order works
Both counting back and counting up are legitimate. Counting back suits small takeaways like 9 − 2; counting up suits close pairs like 15 − 13, where counting back three times is slower and more error-prone than noticing the gap is two. Bridging through ten — 15 − 7 becomes 15 − 5 − 2 — is the counterpart of the make-ten move in addition, and it is what makes subtraction within 20 fast.