Subtraction Within 10
Kindergarten · Math · Study Guide
Subtraction means taking some away from a group to see how many are left. Let's learn to subtract!
Subtraction is the opposite of addition. Instead of putting things together, we're taking things away. If you have 7 grapes and eat 3 of them, how many are left? Let's count what's left: 4! We write this as: 7 - 3 = 4.
The minus sign (-) tells us to subtract or take away. The answer to a subtraction problem is called the difference. So in 7 - 3 = 4, the difference is 4.
You can use your fingers for subtraction too! Hold up 6 fingers. Fold down 2 of them. Count the fingers still up — 1, 2, 3, 4. The answer is 4! That's 6 - 2 = 4.
Another way to subtract is to count back. Start at the bigger number and count backwards. For 8 - 3, start at 8 and count back 3: '7, 6, 5.' The answer is 5! Counting back is a fast strategy that math experts use.
You can also think of subtraction as a missing piece puzzle. If 5 - 2 = ?, ask yourself: '2 + ? = 5.' The missing piece is 3! This trick shows how addition and subtraction are best friends — they undo each other.
| Problem | Difference | Story |
|---|---|---|
| 5 - 1 = 4 | 4 | 5 birds on a fence, 1 flies away — 4 are left |
| 6 - 3 = 3 | 3 | 6 cookies, ate 3 — 3 cookies left |
| 8 - 2 = 6 | 6 | 8 crayons, lost 2 — 6 crayons left |
| 9 - 4 = 5 | 5 | 9 balloons, 4 pop — 5 balloons left |
| 10 - 5 = 5 | 5 | 10 fingers, fold down 5 — 5 are up |
| 7 - 7 = 0 | 0 | 7 grapes, ate all 7 — 0 grapes left |
| 4 - 0 = 4 | 4 | 4 rocks, none taken away — still 4 rocks |
Key terms
- subtraction
- Taking a number away from another to find out how many are left
- minus sign (−)
- The symbol that means 'take away' or 'subtract'
- difference
- The answer when you subtract one number from another
- count back
- A strategy where you start at the bigger number and count down to subtract
- take away
- Another way of saying subtract — removing some from a group
Practice questions
What is 9 - 4?
- 4
- 6
- 5
- 3
Show answer
Answer: 5
When you subtract a number from itself, the answer is always 0.
Show answer
Answer: True
8 - 3 = ___.
Show answer
Answer: 5
Sam has 6 apples and gives 2 away. How many does Sam have left?
- 3
- 5
- 4
- 8
Show answer
Answer: 4
10 - 0 = 10 is true because taking away zero leaves the number the same.
Show answer
Answer: True
Fun facts
- Subtraction and addition are called inverse operations — they are opposites that undo each other. Knowing one fact like 6 + 4 = 10 means you automatically know 10 - 4 = 6 and 10 - 6 = 4!
- When you subtract a number from itself, you always get zero. 5 - 5 = 0, 10 - 10 = 0, 100 - 100 = 0. This works for EVERY number.
- Ancient Egyptians were doing subtraction over 4,000 years ago to build the pyramids — they needed to figure out how many more blocks were needed after some were already placed!
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