Maths
First Grade Subtraction Worksheets
Subtracting within 20, the range where taking away starts crossing back over ten.
Four steps
How to print first grade subtraction worksheets
- 1
Check the range
Opens at 1 to 20, which suits this stage. Move it if one child needs something different.
- 2
Set how many
40 questions a page by default. Fewer for a younger child.
- 3
Keep or drop the key
The answer key prints as its own page.
- 4
Shuffle if you want another
A new sheet at the same settings, so no two children get the same one.
- 5
Print or save as PDF
Plain paper is fine.
Why this range, and why this layout
Below ten, subtraction can be counted backwards on fingers. Above it, 15 - 8 cannot, and the child has to either bridge down through ten or notice that it is the addition fact they already know, read backwards.
Before you print this one
Subtracting within 10 confidently, and adding within 20. Subtraction within 20 is much harder than addition within 20 and it is normal for it to lag by months.
On the layout
If a sum stalls, ask "what do you add to 8 to get 15?" rather than repeating the question. Turning it into the addition they already know is the strategy, not a hint.
When to move on
When subtracting within 20 is reliable, go to two-digit column subtraction. Do the column addition sheets first though: borrowing is much harder to learn than carrying, and carrying teaches the column layout with less to go wrong.
Related printables
first grade addition worksheets, kindergarten subtraction worksheets, second grade subtraction worksheets and number bonds worksheets. The full maths generator covers every operation and range in one place.
Answers