Make a Ten to Subtract Worksheets for 1st Grade

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Grade 1MathAddition & SubtractionCCSS 1.OA.C.6

Skill: Subtracting within 20 by taking away to 10 first, then taking away the rest

Preview of the Make a Ten to Subtract printable worksheet
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Teaching tips and what to try next

Best for first graders who know the pairs that make 10 and have tried Make a Ten to Add. A common slip is subtracting the ones digit and then forgetting how much is still owed, so keep a counter row handy to show the leftover part. For more mixed facts, move on to Subtraction Within 20 or Fact Families Within 20.

10 versions, each with its own answer key

Same skill and layout, a fresh set of problems in every version, so children can keep practicing without repeating a page. Problems are not repeated between versions unless a skill has only a small number of possible problems (for example, the addition facts within 10).

Download all 10 versions (one PDF)All 10 answer keys (PDF)

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About this worksheet

Subtraction facts like 14 – 6 are hard to count back on fingers, and counting back is where many first graders make mistakes. A faster strategy is to subtract down to 10 first. For 14 – 6, take away 4 to reach 10, then take away the 2 that are left to get 8. First graders are expected to use strategies such as making ten to subtract within 20, and this first-grade worksheet practices that one strategy step by step.

The page has twelve facts. Each fact starts with a number from 11 to 18 and subtracts a number from 2 to 9 that is big enough to cross ten. For every fact, the sheet already shows the first step, such as 14 – 4 = 10. Children write how many are still left to take away, and then the answer. Each of the ten versions has new facts and its own answer key, and across the ten versions all 36 facts that cross ten are used before any repeat.

How to use it: work the example at the top together with a ten-frame or two rows of counters. Show the full ten and the extra ones, take away the extra ones first, then take the rest from the ten. Once your child is comfortable, ask them to say each step out loud: "14 take away 4 is 10, and 2 more is 8."

The answer key shows both numbers for each fact. For the addition side, try our Make a Ten to Add worksheet. For mixed practice, try our Subtraction Within 20 worksheet.