Subtract a Number with Desserts and Sweets — Kindergarten

Counting down from a number is the new move here, and the pictures keep it grounded. The child counts the group of cupcakes, lollipops and a pie, then subtracts the written number by counting back that many, landing on how many sweet treats remain. Reading the amount to remove as a numeral — while the starting group stays a set you can count — is the gentlest way to bring written numbers into take-away, with totals small enough to check by counting.

This is the bridge between taking-away-with-pictures and arithmetic. A child who can count a set of sweet treats and then remove a written number is connecting the concrete world of objects to the symbols that will stand in for them, and keeping every total within ten means the link can always be checked by counting what is left.

Children who enjoy desserts and sweets settle into this quickly once crossing-out feels easy, and it suits a calm independent task. When this feels easy, take some away in subtract a number with dinosaurs, or try subtract a number with forest creatures. You can also browse every subtraction worksheet or the whole sweet treats collection for kindergarten — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.