Subtraction Word Problems Up to 10

A subtraction word problem is a short story about a group of objects where some of them go away, get eaten, fly off, or get given to someone else. The story asks how many are left. Because we are working up to 10, every number in the story, the starting amount, the amount that leaves, and the amount left over, is 10 or smaller.

Before jumping into number sentences, it helps to be comfortable taking away with objects up to 10, since word problems are really just take-away stories written in sentences instead of shown with objects.

Story problems rarely say the word "subtract." Instead, they use everyday words that mean the same thing. Watching for these words helps decide whether a story needs subtraction:

• "left" or "left over"
• "flew away," "ran away," or "hopped away"
• "ate," "popped," or "broke"
• "gave away" or "used"
• "how many fewer" or "how many more" (comparing two groups)

When a story tells you a total amount and then something is removed from it, that is a strong clue that subtraction is the right operation.

Following the same steps every time makes these stories much easier to solve.

• Step 1: Read the story carefully and picture what is happening.
• Step 2: Find the starting number, the number that leaves, and what question is being asked.
• Step 3: Draw or picture the objects, then cross out the amount that leaves.
• Step 4: Count what remains to find the answer.
• Step 5: Write the story as a subtraction sentence, for example \( 9 - 4 = 5 \).

If writing the sentence itself feels tricky, practicing writing a subtraction statement up to 10 first can make this step much smoother.

Story: There are 8 birds sitting on a branch. 3 birds fly away. How many birds are left on the branch?

Five blue birds remain, so the story becomes the number sentence \( 8 - 3 = 5 \). There are 5 birds left on the branch.

Story: Maya has 10 crayons in a box. She gives 6 crayons to her friend. How many crayons does Maya have now?

Start with 10 crayons, then take away the 6 that are given away. Counting what is left gives the answer 4, so the number sentence is \( 10 - 6 = 4 \). Maya has 4 crayons left.

If it helps to see the take-away happen along a path of numbers instead of with pictures, try subtracting with a number line up to 10, which shows the same idea by hopping backward from the starting number.

Some stories can look similar to addition problems, so it is worth pausing to ask: is something being combined, or is something being removed? If two groups are joined together, that is addition. If a group starts whole and part of it disappears, is eaten, or is given away, that is subtraction. Reading the story slowly and picturing exactly what happens is the best way to tell the difference between addition and subtraction stories.

Retell the story in your own words before writing any numbers. Use small objects like buttons, blocks, or fingers to act the story out. Always check that the answer is smaller than the number the story started with, since subtraction always leaves less than we began with. With steady practice, turning a short story into a subtraction sentence and finding the answer becomes second nature.

Related lessons

• Kindergarten