Farm Animal Subtraction Cards

Farm animals are such a fun theme to do in Kindergarten! These free Farm Animal Subtraction Cards would be great for a “farm week” or as a math review activity for the end of the year. They are the perfect way to teach subtraction in a hands-on and engaging way!

*Pair with our Farm Centers & Activities for Pre-K and Kindergarten!

Farm Animal Subtraction Cards

Subtraction can be a tricky math concept to teach Kindergarteners. Once they learn addition, it is sometimes hard for them to get in that mindset to “take away.”

I always start out teaching subtraction with manipulatives the kids can physically take away, like unifix cubes, pom poms, or even the students themselves! After they get the “physical” aspect of subtracting, we move on to “crossing out.”

This skill will help students understand how to write subtraction sentences. The main goal is to teach students the steps to writing subtraction sentences, so they do not end up trying to add or making a subtraction problem that does not make sense.

How to Use Subtraction Cards

Before we start, I like to laminate the subtraction cards so the students can use dry erase markers to write. This also makes the cards durable and reusable!

When starting the activity, the first step is to have the students count ALL of the animals on the card. They need to know how many animals there are to begin with.

I say, “Let’s count how many cows we see on the farm!” The students count how many cows there are and write that number down in the first box.

The second step is to pose the problem of how many cows “ran away.” This helps students visualize that the cows are no longer there.

I say, “Uh-oh! Three cows ran away!” I cross off the cows as I count, “One, two, three.” Then I write the number “3” in the second box. I explain that we need to write down how many cows ran away to solve the problem.

Next, I make sure to go over the subtraction sentence that we have so far. I use both terms “minus” and “take away,” so that the students understand that they mean the same thing.

I ask, “How many cows are left on the farm?” Then we count the cows that are left. Once we have the answer, we write the number down and repeat the completed subtraction sentence.

Your students can use the corresponding recording sheet to write down all of the subtraction sentences they make using the farm animal cards.

This activity would work well as a math center, early finisher task, or as a small group lesson. I hope your students find this subtraction game fun and engaging!

Grab Your FREE Copy

Are you ready to start subtracting farm animals? Grab these free subtraction cards by clicking the large, yellow download button at the end of the post!

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