This subtraction for kids lesson shows taking away within 10 using apples, birds, fingers and balloons. Young learners also meet the minus sign and see how a take-away story turns into a number sentence. The lesson ends with a take-away quiz, so try pausing at each question and letting your child answer out loud.
🏠 Try it at home
Put 8 toys on the table, take 3 away, and ask your child how many are left before you count.
What's in this lesson
- Subtraction as taking away
- Taking away apples, birds, fingers and balloons
- Meeting the minus sign
- Subtracting within 10
- A take-away quiz at the end
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About this math lesson
Subtraction means taking some away and finding how many are left. This free K–2 video practices subtraction within 10 with apples, birds, fingers and balloons, and shows how a take-away story becomes a number sentence like 7 − 3 = 4.
Key ideas
- The minus sign (−) means take away
- Start with the whole group, take some away, count what is left
- Subtraction is the opposite of addition: 4 + 3 = 7, so 7 − 3 = 4
- Fingers and objects make subtraction easy to see
Questions parents and teachers ask
How do you teach subtraction to kindergarten?
Act out take-away stories with real objects: 5 apples, eat 2, how many are left? Then write it as 5 − 2 = 3.
What does subtraction within 10 mean?
It means subtracting numbers 10 or smaller, such as 9 − 4 = 5. It is a kindergarten and 1st grade goal.
What comes after subtraction within 10?
Next, kids practice subtraction within 20 and learn that addition and subtraction are related facts.
