Subtraction Worksheets
Free printable subtraction worksheets for kindergarten through grade 5. Master subtraction facts, regrouping (borrowing), and multi-digit problems.
Start Interactive Practice →Single-Digit Subtraction
Perfect for kindergarten through grade 2. Master basic subtraction facts from 10-1 down to 1-1. Build fluency with subtraction within 10 and 20 for automatic fact recall.
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2-Digit Subtraction
For grades 2-4. Practice subtracting two-digit numbers with and without regrouping (borrowing). Essential for understanding place value and preparing for larger calculations.
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What Your Child Will Learn
Basic Subtraction Facts (K-1)
Young learners start by understanding subtraction as "taking away" or "finding the difference." They use fingers, counters, and pictures to solve simple problems like 5-2=3. The goal is fluency with subtraction facts within 10, then within 20.
- Understand subtraction as removing or comparing quantities
- Use counting strategies (count back, count up to find difference)
- Recognize subtraction patterns (subtracting 0, subtracting 1, near-doubles)
- Achieve automatic recall of basic subtraction facts
- Understand the relationship between addition and subtraction
2-Digit Subtraction (Grades 2-3)
As students progress, they subtract larger numbers using place value understanding. They learn to line up tens and ones, subtract column by column, and "regroup" (borrow) when the top digit is smaller than the bottom digit.
- Subtract 2-digit numbers without regrouping (e.g., 58 - 23)
- Subtract 2-digit numbers with regrouping (e.g., 52 - 28)
- Understand place value and regrouping (trading 1 ten for 10 ones)
- Use mental math strategies for compatible numbers
- Check subtraction answers by adding
3-Digit & Advanced Subtraction (Grades 3-5)
Upper elementary students tackle 3-digit subtraction, multiple regrouping steps (including across zeros), and apply subtraction in real-world contexts like calculating change, measuring differences, and solving multi-step problems.
- Subtract 3-digit numbers with multiple regroupings (e.g., 503 - 247)
- Handle zeros in subtraction (e.g., 400 - 158)
- Estimate differences by rounding
- Solve word problems involving "how many more" and "difference"
- Subtract decimals and money amounts
Common Subtraction Challenges & Solutions
❌ Challenge: "I don't know when to borrow"
Problem: Students struggle to recognize when regrouping is needed and get confused by the process.
✅ Solution: Teach the "top smaller than bottom?" rule. If the top digit is smaller, you must borrow. Use manipulatives (base-10 blocks) to show physically trading 1 ten for 10 ones. Practice with color-coded worksheets that highlight borrowing steps.
❌ Challenge: Subtracting zeros (500 - 237)
Problem: Problems with zeros require multiple borrowing steps, which confuses students.
✅ Solution: Break it into steps: "Can't subtract from 0 in ones place, so borrow from tens. But tens is 0! So borrow from hundreds first (500 becomes 4 hundreds, 10 tens, 0 ones). Now borrow from tens to ones (becomes 4 hundreds, 9 tens, 10 ones)." Practice with expanded form notation.
❌ Challenge: Subtraction is harder than addition
Problem: Students master addition but struggle more with subtraction facts.
✅ Solution: Emphasize the addition-subtraction relationship. If you know 8+5=13, you automatically know 13-5=8 and 13-8=5. Create "fact families" (8, 5, 13) to reinforce this connection. Use flashcards with both operations.
❌ Challenge: Mixing up subtraction order
Problem: Students calculate 3-7 instead of 7-3, or always subtract the smaller number from the larger.
✅ Solution: Use concrete scenarios: "You have 7 cookies and eat 3. How many left?" Emphasize that subtraction order matters (unlike addition). Write problems vertically to make the larger number clearly on top.
Teaching Subtraction Effectively
🧮 Use Base-10 Blocks
Physical manipulatives make regrouping visible. Physically trading 1 ten-rod for 10 ones-cubes helps students understand what borrowing means mathematically.
🔄 Connect to Addition
Teach students to check subtraction by adding: 52-28=24, so 24+28 should equal 52. This reinforces inverse operations and catches errors.
📊 Number Line Jumps
For mental math, teach "counting up" or "friendly numbers": To solve 73-48, think "48 up to 50 is 2, 50 up to 73 is 23, so 2+23=25."
⏱️ Timed Fact Drills
Once students understand the concept, build speed with 3-minute drills. Fluency with basic subtraction facts (within 20) is essential for success with larger problems.
🎯 Vertical Format Practice
While understanding horizontal problems is important, practicing vertical format helps students align place values correctly and reduces errors in multi-digit subtraction.
🌍 Real-World Applications
Use contexts like making change, comparing heights/weights, calculating age differences, and temperature changes. Real problems help students see why subtraction matters.
Subtraction Skills by Grade Level
Kindergarten
Represent subtraction with objects and drawings. Solve subtraction problems within 10. Understand - and = symbols. Learn that subtraction means "taking away."
Grade 1
Subtract within 20. Use strategies like counting back, making 10, and relating to known addition facts. Understand that addition and subtraction are inverse operations.
Grade 2
Fluently subtract within 100. Subtract 2-digit numbers with regrouping. Use place value strategies and understand the relationship between addition and subtraction.
Grade 3
Fluently subtract within 1000 using standard algorithm with regrouping. Handle problems with zeros. Solve multi-step word problems involving subtraction.
Grades 4-5
Subtract multi-digit whole numbers efficiently. Subtract decimals to hundredths. Subtract fractions with like denominators. Apply subtraction in complex word problems and real-world scenarios.
Related Math Topics
Start Practicing Subtraction Today
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