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Subtraction board game using flash cards

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image promoting a free subtraction board game

This post contains affiliate links.

I created this simple subtraction game so that we would have a good way to use our subtraction flash cards.

Because I don’t know about you, but flashing one card after another isn’t my idea of a good time.

Not that it can’t be useful – kids do need to learn those facts automatically – but I think that games are essential as well.

child playing subtraction game

I was inspired by this game from Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational. I simply created and printed a set of flash cards and created a board game with the numbers 0-9.

We took turns drawing a card and moving to the next square which had its answer.

child playing subtraction game

Since my Five often comes home from school complaining that kindergarten math is boring, I decided to play the game with him first.

I haven’t done any subtraction work with him yet, but he was able to use his fingers to solve some of the problems.

child playing subtraction game

When he get stuck, I showed him how to start with the number on a hundred chart (see upper right of the above image) and count backward.

child playing subtraction game

This game definitely gave him the challenge he was looking for!

child with a math board

I would have liked to spend more time talking about the strategy of figuring out the answers, but a certain just-turned-Two was sobbing at my elbow. (The hundred board and its number tiles is one of his favorite toys, and he wasn’t happy that we were using it!)

child playing subtraction game

After I finished the game with my Five, I pulled it out to use with my Seven. He’s been doing subtraction in school this year, and I thought the game would be a good review.

As it turned out, he knew all the answers relatively quickly. I’ll have to find a more challenging way to review his subtraction facts!

Tips for using the printable

  • Use just the flash cards your learner struggles with. (Take out the easy ones!)
  • For extra practice, have students go through the entire board twice to win.
  • If you’d like learners to be independent with this game, you might write the answer on the back of each card. If you do this, be sure to have the cards be face up as they play.

Get your free subtraction race game!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

P.S. Looking for more math printables?

Our low-cost monthly membership, The Measured Mom Plus, includes a huge variety of math and literacy printables for Pre-K to third grade. Thousands of teachers love having our high quality printables right at their fingertips! Click here to learn more.

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Reader Interactions

25 Comments

    • Heather Groth, Customer Support

      Hi Aaron! You could play that way if you’d like, but we had meant it to be that if someone draws a card that doesn’t have a number tile left on the gameboard, they would get to go the END space.

      For instance, if they’re on that green 9 space near the end and they pick up a card that says, “16 – 6,” because there are no more 10 spaces left then they would get to move to the END space. I hope this helps!

      Reply to this comment

    • Kate Dowling

      Hello Gauri Jain!

      This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. Here are the directions printed on the board: DIRECTIONS: Put your subtraction flashcards upside down in a pile. Take turns drawing a card. Move to the closest space with the answer to the subtraction fact. Whoever gets to END first (with any number), wins!

      To restate, a player will draw a subtraction card and look for the answer on the board. The player will move to the very next space that holds the answer to the fact. The winner is the player who reaches END first.

      We hope you enjoy the game!

      Reply to this comment

  3. Sejal Gandhi

    This is really a good idea to engage students. We can enhance creativity and motivate them to revise concepts learnt with fun. I will surely use the suggested games for my Grade 2 students and motivate them to play these / such games.

    Thank you,

    Reply to this comment

  10. Mary

    Thanks for sharing your subtraction game. I’ve decided to also use it with spelling partners. The student will pull a spelling word, say it, write, and roll a die ( 9 count) to see where to move their marker.

    Reply to this comment

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