Subtraction with Post Office — Kindergarten

Each line gives the child a group of letters, stamps and a parcel and some to take away by crossing out. They mark the ones that leave, then count the ones remaining to find how many are left. Doing the take-away with their own hand — rather than reading a minus sign — is how subtraction first makes sense at five and six, and keeping the groups small means the leftover post can always be checked by counting.

Taking a few away and counting what is left is the most concrete form of subtraction there is, and it is exactly where five- and six-year-olds begin. Modelling the take-away with pictures the child can cross out keeps the meaning — fewer than we started with — front and centre, well within ten so every answer can be checked by counting.

Children who enjoy post office 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 reptiles and amphibians, or try subtraction with tools. You can also browse every subtraction worksheet or the whole post collection for kindergarten — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.