Subtraction with Insects and Bugs — Kindergarten

Here a child subtracts by doing, not by remembering. Each line lays out some ants, bees and a ladybug; the task is to cross off the ones that go and count the ones still there. A row might start with a few and send one away, or start with more and cross several off, so the take-away looks different each time. Crossing out and counting the remainder is the most concrete form of subtraction there is, and it is exactly where five- and six-year-olds begin.

Subtraction makes sense first as an action: some of a group leaves, and we count who remains. Crossing out the bugs that go turns that action into something a child can see and do, rather than a rule about a minus sign. Keeping the numbers small means the remainder is always countable, so the answer is verified, not guessed.

Children who enjoy insects and bugs take to crossing out quickly, and it works as a calm hands-on task or a whole-class action on the board. When this feels easy, take some away in subtraction with kitchen tools, or try subtraction with ocean life. You can also browse every subtraction worksheet or the whole bugs collection for kindergarten — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.