Addition & Subtraction Pairs
Work out each card, then match the addition to the subtraction that has the same answer — tap one card, then its match, and watch the pair link. Every round has two answers to find. Aligned to Common Core 1.OA.D.7 — understanding that addition and subtraction expressions can be equal.
Work out each card, then match the addition to the subtraction that has the same answer — tap one card, then its match, and watch the pair link. Every round has two answers to find. Aligned to Common Core 1.OA.D.7 — understanding that addition and subtraction expressions can be equal.
About this activity
Every card becomes one rail of a ladder. An addition is two short rails clicked together end to end: 2 + 3 is a rail of 2 holes and a rail of 3. A subtraction is a tall rail with its top sawn off: 9 − 4 is a rail of 9 holes, and the top 4 fall away. The child taps an addition and a subtraction, and the two rails stand side by side.
Then the child taps the squirrel. It climbs a rung at every height that has a hole on both rails. If the rails are the same height, it reaches the gold top rung and the acorn, and the ladder folds into a tag that reads 2 + 3 = 9 − 4: work on both sides of the equals sign, shown to be equal. If one rail is taller, the squirrel stops, and the extra holes on the taller side glow and are numbered. If it stops a second time, little rails appear on the cards to compare.
In the Undo it level, the four cards are one fact family, such as 3 + 5, 5 + 3, 8 − 5 and 8 − 3. Every rail is 8 holes tall, so height cannot decide. Each rail is two colours, and the squirrel climbs only where the colours match, so 3 + 5 goes with 8 − 5, the subtraction that takes away the part added last. The Same answer level is aligned to Common Core 1.OA.D.7; Undo it practises the link between addition and subtraction. No timer and no score.
What's inside this activity
- Designed for Grade 1 learners (ages about 6–7)
- Common Core strand: Operations & Algebraic Thinking
- Aligned to Common Core standard 1.OA.D.7
How to play
Tap an addition card and a subtraction card. Their rails appear in the ladder yard.
Tap the squirrel to send it up the ladder. If it reaches the acorn, the pair is right and its tag hangs on the rack.
If it stops, look at the glowing holes (in Undo it, the ringed holes), then tap another card to try again. Tap a tag on the rack to take that ladder apart.
In the settings, choose the pairs (Same answer or Undo it) and when to show the rails (After I choose or On the cards). “On the cards” is the easier setting.
What your child practices
- Understanding the equals sign as “the same as”: 2 + 3 = 9 − 4
- Working out additions and subtractions within 20
- Deciding whether two expressions are worth the same
- Pairing each addition with the subtraction that undoes it
Learning goals
Understand the meaning of the equals sign
Decide whether an equation with + and − on both sides is true
Add and subtract within 20
Link each addition to the subtraction that undoes it
Frequently asked questions
- What does the Addition & Subtraction Pairs activity teach?
- Addition & Subtraction Pairs is an interactive activity for Grade 1, focused on Operations & Algebraic Thinking. Children play it right in the browser — no printing, login, or setup required.
- Which ages is this activity for?
- It is designed for Grade 1 (Operations & Algebraic Thinking) and works well for whole-class, small-group, or independent practice.
Practice this standard
See all 1.OA.D.7 activitiesMore activities to try
- 2.OA.C.3Even or Odd? — Number Sense for Grade 2
- 1.OA.D.8Find the Missing Number
- 2.OA.C.4Build an Array — Rows, Columns & Repeated Addition (Grade 2)
- 2.OA.C.4Equal Groups — Repeated Addition to Find the Total (Grade 2)
- 1.OA.C.6Make a Ten to Add — Addition Within 20 (Grade 1)
- 1.OA.A.1Find the Total — Add Two Parts Within 20 (Grade 1)