🌱 Kindergarten · Free printable

Subtraction Within 5 Worksheets

Subtraction within 5 introduces the idea of taking away: start with a small group, remove some, and count what is left. Every problem on these worksheets starts with 5 or fewer.

Children should also start to see subtraction as the opposite of addition. If they know 2 + 3 = 5, they can work out 5 − 3 = 2.

Print a free worksheet

Choose how many problems. Every worksheet has new problems and a matching answer key.

Opens in a new tab, ready to print. Use the Answer Key button there to print the answers.

Sample problems

  1. 5 − 3 = _____
  2. 4 − 2 = _____
  3. 3 − 3 = _____
  4. 3 − 2 = _____
  5. 5 − 4 = _____
  6. 5 − 2 = _____
  7. 4 − 4 = _____
  8. 4 − 1 = _____

Worked example

5 − 2

  1. Hold up 5 fingers.
  2. Fold down 2 of them, because we are taking 2 away.
  3. Count the fingers still standing: 1, 2, 3.
  4. So 5 − 2 = 3.

Common mistakes

  • Counting the ones taken away instead of the ones left. After folding down 2 fingers, the answer is the fingers still up.
  • Reading − as +. If a child answers 7 for 5 − 2, they added. Ask: "When we take some away, do we end up with more or fewer?"

Tips for practicing at home

  • Act it out with toys: line up 4 cars, drive 1 away, and ask how many are still parked.
  • Sing countdown songs like "Five Little Ducks", which are subtraction by 1.
  • Play "How many are hiding?": show some objects, cover a few, and ask how many are hidden.

Common Core standards

K.OA.A.5
Fluently add and subtract within 5.

More Kindergarten worksheets

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Fun Math turns practice into a game: read-aloud problems, daily streaks, coin and clock practice, and lessons for K–2. Free to start, no ads.