Mixed Subtraction with Faces (Black & White) — Grade 1

Mixed subtraction lays two row-types side by side. On one the child takes a number away from a pictured group of smiling faces, winking faces and a yawning face and counts what's left; on another the leftover is given and the child finds how many went. For a Grade 1 child, handling both with the same faces is how the link between a take-away and its missing part takes hold. The within-twenty amounts keep every answer checkable, and the steady switching between the two keeps a child reading and thinking rather than coasting.

Variety is the teaching tool here: when rows alternate between taking a number away and finding what was taken, a child must read and decide before solving. That deliberate switching is exactly the flexible practice Grade 1 calls for, and keeping the faces pictured and the numbers within twenty keeps it grounded.

Children who like faces (black & white) enjoy not knowing which question is coming next, and it keeps a small group thinking. When this feels easy, try mixed subtraction with farm animals, or mixed subtraction with insects and bugs. You can also browse every subtraction worksheet or the whole faces collection for grade 1 — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.