Printable Mental Subtraction Worksheets
Printable mental subtraction worksheets for 2nd and 3rd grade, with an answer key on every sheet. The sets below cover 6 different skills, so you can start where your child actually is. Available as speed drills.
Targeted Practice by Skill
Subtract 1-digit from 2-digit mentally
Sub 10 And 100
Subtract 1-digit from 2-digit mentally
Split The Subtrahend
Subtract two 2-digit numbers mentally
Sub 10 And 100
Subtract two 2-digit numbers mentally
Take Tens Then Ones
Subtract 10, 100 and 1,000
Sub 10 100 1000
Subtract 10, 100 and 1,000
What Was Taken Away
Subtract near tens, minus 9
Over And Back Rail
Subtract near tens, minus 9
Sub Which Is Quicker
Count up to subtract
Math.subtraction.mental Subtraction.05
Compensation strategy
Both Numbers Seesaw
About Mental Subtraction
What this skill is
Mental subtraction develops efficient strategies for solving subtraction mentally without vertical paper computation, including counting up to subtract and compensation (54 - 29 = 54 - 30 + 1 = 25).
When children learn it
Mental subtraction strategies are taught in 2nd through 4th grade, aligned to 2.NBT.B.8 and 3.NBT.A.2.
Teaching Tips
- Use counting up: to solve 62 - 48, count 48 to 50 (2), then 50 to 62 (12), total 14.
- Subtract tens first, then subtract ones.
Common Mistakes
- Subtracting tens and ones without handling regrouping correctly mentally.
- Forgetting to add back 1 during minus 9 or minus 19 compensation.
More Subtraction Concepts
Subtraction SentencesSubtraction Within 10Subtraction with Number LinesSubtraction Facts to 20Subtracting Whole Tens and HundredsTwo-Digit SubtractionSubtracting from Whole Tens, Hundreds and ThousandsSubtraction Word ProblemsMissing Minuend and SubtrahendThree-Digit Subtraction4-Digit SubtractionSubtracting Large Numbers