Free Addition and Subtraction Worksheets

In the early years of homeschooling, there will be a lot of teaching and reviewing of addition and subtraction facts. There are many hands-on ways to teach these concepts. But sometimes you just need a great worksheet for review or skill building. So let’s tackle the topic of teaching addition and subtraction to your kids, some activities you can try, and then where to find the best addition and subtraction worksheets.

Objectives of Teaching Addition and Subtraction

You’ll want your children to understand the ideas of addition and subtraction both in a conceptual and real-world way. So, they’ll learn how to use numbers to represent the mathematical operations, but you can also include math manipulatives and objects to help illustrate and reinforce the skills. 

Concepts of Addition and Subtraction

Your kids will be able to understand the concepts of adding to and taking from. When learning subtraction, it’s also helpful to teach them how to count on to find the difference.

Your kids will learn basic definitions, including:

• sum
• total
• addend
• difference
• numeral
• digit
• whole number

What is the Best Way to Teach Addition and Subtraction?

Once your kids have developed a basic number sense, they’re ready to move onto addition and subtraction. First, always teach addition and subtraction concretely at the beginning. Use objects to show the concept. Include math games and fun activities.

Your student’s addition skills and subtraction skills will continue to grow as you talk through simple equations and act them out with real objects. Then, you can introduce them abstractly with math problems. Repetition and regular practice is key. Your kids might enjoy creating their own flash cards as they learn math facts.

Using Number Lines

Using number lines and also finding the numbers that make 10 provide excellent strategies for teaching addition and subtraction.

The use of fact families help students understand the relationship between addition and subtraction. These number bonds can be explored with multiple hands-on activities in addition to single-digit addition problems and the related subtraction skills.

How do You Teach Subtraction using Addition?

One of the best ways to teach subtraction is to use related facts and fact families. That means that if your child knows his addition facts, he will be able to understand subtraction much easier. For example, you can solve 10 – 6 = ? by thinking 6 + ? = 10. 

Another idea for using basic addition to teach subtraction is to use counting on strategy. If your child sees that same equation as before, 10 – 6 = ?, then they can learn to count on from 6 until they reach 10.

Hands-on Addition and Subtraction Activities

Using objects and counting manipulatives provide a great way for kids to understand and engage with math concepts. Some of the household items you might use for hands-on activities in math include beads, buttons, LEGO pieces, and any collection of small toys. Kid love to learn math when using their favorite toys, like small cars or animals.

How to Start

Start with one-digit numbers and show your kids how to add or take away from the group. What is the result? Then, you can increase from single digit addition and subtraction to two-digit numbers.

Other Hands-On Math Activities

Other hands-on activities would include practicing ordinal numbers by lining up stuffed animals. Maybe you could create a mystery scavenger hunt in the house where your kids have to find the missing numbers in multi-step word problems. Really, any activities that help your kids understand these math concepts are a great tool for your homeschool toolbox. You could even use Bingo cards to teach numbers.

Addition and Subtraction Worksheets

If you are looking for adding and subtracting worksheets that you can print off and use over and over for math practice, we’ve got a huge list for you.

Addition and Subtraction Word Problems

For some reason, transitioning into math word problems can cause trouble for some students. In order to help them learn the real-life application of addition and subtraction, print off a few of these word problems worksheets to help your kids gain confidence in this math skill. You’ll find addition worksheets along with printables geared just toward subtraction problems.

Addition Word Problems

Addition Word Problems Worksheets for Grade 3 – The focus here is solving real life situations by using addition. 

Addition Word Problem Worksheets – The addition word problem worksheets presented here involve performing addition operations with regrouping and without regrouping.

Subtraction Word Problems

Subtraction Word Problem Worksheets –  These are ideal for children in kindergarten through grade 4 and feature word problems that involve single-digit subtraction, two-digit subtraction, three-digit subtraction, and subtraction of large numbers up to six digits. 

Subtraction Word Problems Worksheets – You can find several worksheets of differing difficulty for your kids.

Adding and Subtracting Fractions Worksheet

Fractions are always learned best in hands-on ways with manipulatives and drawing pictures – or slicing up a pizza for lunch! But once you’ve moved on from understanding the concept of fractions, your kids will benefit from a lot of practice. The following worksheets will help your students review adding and subtracting fractions.

Adding Fractions Worksheets

Add & Subtract Fractions Worksheets for Grade 5 – These grade 5 worksheets provide practice in adding and subtracting fractions with both like and unlike denominators.

Adding Fractions Worksheets – This compilation of adding fractions worksheets is ideal for 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students.

Subtracting Fractions Worksheets

Subtracting Fractions Worksheets – Kids will get practice with learning to subtract fractions with both like and unlike denominators.

Subtracting Fractions – Check out multiple options here with varying difficulty levels.

Adding and Subtracting Integers Worksheet

Here are some free worksheets to use when teaching about adding and subtracting integers. Integers are simply positive and negative whole numbers. Using a number line to understand positive and negative numbers is very helpful! Once your kids can visually understand how to add and subtract integers on a number line, they’ll be able to keep adding to their math skills .

Adding Integers Worksheets

Adding Integers Worksheets – Includes worksheets with number lines to aid in visually understanding adding integers. Also includes 2×2 and 3×3 squares addition worksheets.

Integers Worksheets and Online Exercises – Choose from a variety of approaches, including introduction to integers, using a number line, and integer word problems.

Subtracting Integers Worksheets

Subtraction of Integers – Here are 6 versions of a grade 6 worksheet. All addends have an absolute value of less than 30.

Integer Subtraction Worksheets – There are two worksheets here for grades 6-8.

Adding and Subtracting Decimals Worksheets

The main thing to teach your kids when they first learn how to add and subtract decimals is to line up the decimal points vertically in the problem. This will save frustrations and head aches later! Some kids like using graph paper to write out their math problems because it helps them to keep the vertical equations neatly lined up. Here are free addition and subtraction printables just focusing on decimals.

Adding Decimals Worksheets

Adding Decimals – Choose from tenths, hundredths, thousandths, and one to four decimal places for your perfect adding decimals worksheet.

Adding Decimals Worksheets – Perfect for grades 4-6, you can print and download a variety of worksheets on base ten blocks, adding decimals in vertical and horizontal format, grid addition, line up addition, adding decimals using number lines and much more!

Subtracting Decimals Worksheets

Subtracting Decimals Worksheets – There are over 350 worksheets here for grades 4-6!

Decimal Subtraction Worksheets – These worksheets are ideal for 5th graders and will help you to learn to subtract decimals with up to 3 decimal places.

Adding and Subtracting Polynomials Worksheets

Adding and Subtracting Polynomials – Decide how many terms you want to use on these generated polynomial worksheets.

Subtracting Polynomials Worksheets – There are multiple difficulty levels available here plus over 100 worksheets.

Adding and Subtracting Polynomials Worksheet + Answer Key – Find a single worksheet here with 25 problems.

Adding and Subtracting Time Worksheets

Adding and Subtracting Time Worksheets – Perfect for grades 2-6. Includes nearest quarter, regrouping minutes and seconds, and adding minutes and hours without regrouping.

Add and Subtract Time Worksheets – Over 15 worksheets here, including time word problems and adding and subtracting different time intervals in seconds, minutes, hours, weeks, days, months and years.

Adding and Subtracting Negative Numbers Worksheets

Adding and Subtracting Negative Numbers – Create your own worksheets! Allows you to generate your own combined addition and subtraction worksheets for negative numbers.

Adding and Subtracting Negative Numbers Worksheets – Check out these four worksheets for more practice with adding and subtracting negative numbers.

In Conclusion

Ensuring that your children thoroughly understand how to add and subtract is key for future math success. Using an addition and subtraction worksheet can help with practice as you can print it over and over until the math facts are mastered.