Early MathPicture subtraction within 10
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Picture subtraction worksheets
Subtraction makes sense to a young child as taking things away. These free printable worksheets show a group of themed pictures with some already crossed out, so a preschooler finds the answer by counting what is left instead of decoding a minus sign.
Kid stuck on one? You don’t just get the sheet.
Picture subtraction
The answer key prints on a separate page.
What's on this sheet
Each problem starts with a group of the mascot's picnic treasure and crosses a few of them off with a red line. The child counts the pictures that remain — five carrots with two crossed out leaves three — so subtraction stays a physical take-away rather than an abstract rule. The starting group never grows past a dozen, and every question leaves at least one picture behind so the result is always something a child can point to.
Why this sheet works
This is an early sheet, so it is short by design — a handful of take-away problems is enough concentrated practice for a young learner. No question repeats on the page, so the set stays varied.
How this one works
One question from this sheet, worked through a step at a time.
5 − 2
•••••
••• ✗✗
••• ✗✗
5 − 2 =3
- Start with all 5 and take 2 away — cross them off one at a time, and what is LEFT is the answer, not what you crossed.
- 2 crossed off leaves 3 standing.
- 5 − 2 = 3. Counting back from 5 gets there too, and is quicker once the numbers are too big to draw.