Grade 1 Subtraction Worksheets — Take-Away Facts PDF
Grade 1 stretches subtraction well past ten and — more importantly — connects it to addition: knowing 8 + 5 = 13 is how a first grader should eventually solve 13 − 5. Seven skills sit here, each on its own page with its own three levels: Take-Away Facts, Counting Up to Subtract, Subtract Without Regrouping, Missing Number, Ten Less, Subtraction Stories and How Many More. Take-Away Facts is sized for that journey — Small facts stays inside 12, Bigger facts runs to 40, and Crossing ten works in the forties and fifties — while Counting Up to Subtract has a page of its own for exactly the think-addition method above. No answer ever goes negative. Every change you make below updates the worksheet instantly, and the link reproduces the identical sheet for a re-test next week.
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Subtraction · Grade 1
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Grade 1 · 2 pages · A4More Grade 1 subtraction skills
Each one generates a different kind of question, with its own three levels and answer key.
- Take-Away FactsThe basic subtraction facts, from the smallest ones up to crossing a ten.
- Counting Up to SubtractFill in the jump: counting up from the smaller number instead of taking away.
- Subtract Without RegroupingColumn subtraction where every digit on top is big enough — no borrowing needed.
- Missing NumberFill in the number that makes the subtraction true, wherever the gap is.
- Ten LessMental jumps: counting back in tens and taking away whole tens.
- Subtraction StoriesTake-away word problems where a different part of the story is missing each time.
- How Many MoreComparing two amounts and finding the difference between them.
What each level generates
Grade 1 take-away facts — the exact skill behind each difficulty setting, straight from the generator.
- Level 1Small facts
- Level 2Bigger facts
- Level 3Crossing ten
Grade levels follow the progression common to most English-language curricula — not one specific national curriculum. Every level shows exactly what it generates, so you can check the fit with your own program. See the full scope & sequence →
Within 20, powered by addition
Most Grade 1 curricula expect fluency with subtraction within 10 by year-end, with strategies — not yet speed — for facts to 20. The key strategy is thinking addition: to solve 13 − 5, ask "5 plus what makes 13?" Children who make that link stop counting backwards one finger at a time, which is where most Grade 1 errors live.
Stay on Take-Away Facts at the Small facts level for daily practice, and use the Counting Up to Subtract page when you want that thinking written down. When a fact stalls, write its addition partner next to it (13 − 5 alongside 5 + 8) and have your child say both aloud — fact families cement faster in pairs than alone.
A practice rhythm that sticks
Ten problems a day beats thirty on Saturday. Set the stepper to 10, print, and time nothing — accuracy first. Press Shuffle each morning for a fresh set at the same settings, so practice never repeats and answers can't be memorised by position.
Watch for count-back errors that land one off (13 − 5 = 9) — they mean your child is counting the starting number as step one. Model "start after 13" once or twice and it usually resolves. Move on to the Subtract Without Regrouping page only when facts within 20 are quick and calm, typically late in the year.
Frequently asked questions
▸What subtraction should a Grade 1 student know?
By year-end, most curricula expect fluent subtraction within 10 and reliable strategies for facts within 20. Speed with the harder teen facts is typically a Grade 2 goal.
▸How does subtraction relate to addition in Grade 1?
They are taught as inverse operations: 13 − 5 is solved by asking what adds to 5 to make 13. Practising fact families together — 5 + 8, 8 + 5, 13 − 5, 13 − 8 — builds both at once.
▸How do I print an answer key?
Tick the answer key box before downloading. The key prints on its own separate page with numbered answers, so you can hold it back while your child works.
▸Can I reprint the exact same worksheet later?
Yes. The link stores your exact worksheet — bookmark or share it and the identical problems and answer key come back, which makes fair re-tests easy.
▸When should my child move on from take-away facts?
When take-away facts are answered quickly without finger-counting — usually toward the end of Grade 1. Then open the Subtract Without Regrouping page for a gentle preview of Grade 2 column work.