Six games for practicing subtraction facts to 20, each on its own page with its rules at the top. Page 1, Rocket to the Moon, is a board game for 2 to 4 players: roll a die, move, and say the answer on the space; a partner checks it with the answer key. Page 2, Race to the Top, needs two dice and crayons: take the smaller number from the bigger, color a box over the answer from 0 to 5, and see which answer reaches the top first. Page 3, Spin and Subtract, has two paper clip spinners (11 to 16 and 3 to 8) and a board where each answer shows up as often as it can be spun; players color answers and try for four in a row. Page 4, Race to Zero, is a record sheet: both players start at 20, roll and take away, and write every number sentence until one lands on 0 exactly. Page 5 is Subtraction Memory: 10 facts and their 10 answers, no two facts with the same answer. Page 6 is 20 cards with addition and subtraction mixed for Bigger Answer Wins, a card game like War.
Teach one game at a time to the whole class, playing against the class on the board, then use it at a math center for the week. Print the boards on card stock, or put them in sheet protectors and use dry-erase markers. Race to Zero makes a good warm-up: the written number sentences show you who is subtracting and who is counting back by ones. Keep each card game in a zip bag with its rules page; the answer keys let partners check each other.
Play Race to Zero with any die: start at 20 and take turns taking away what you roll. Ask your child to say how they subtracted: "13 take away 5: take 3 to get to 10, then 2 more is 8." Play Subtraction Memory face up first, then face down.
This pack supports the following Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:
© Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
Printable subtraction games for practicing facts to 20 with a partner or a small group. Students play a board game, race with dice, spin for four in a row, count down to zero, and play Memory and a card game like War.
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