Subtraction with Sports Gear (Black & White) — Kindergarten

On every row of this sheet a group of footballs, racquets and a whistle is there to be thinned out. The child marks the ones that leave with a cross, then counts the sports gear that are left to find the answer. Nothing has to be read first — the picture is the problem, and the crossing-out is the subtraction. Keeping the groups small means a child can always check by counting what remains rather than guessing.

Crossing out is a small action with a big idea behind it: a quantity can be made smaller, and we can say exactly how much is left. Doing it with pictured sports gear keeps the idea concrete and self-checking, which is precisely what take-away subtraction should be at five and six — seen and done, not memorised.

Children who enjoy sports gear (black & white) 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 thanksgiving, or try subtraction with vegetables. You can also browse every subtraction worksheet or the whole sports gear collection for kindergarten — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.