Subtraction Strategies

There are many ways to subtract, such as counting up, using number bonds or splitting numbers into tens and ones. Counting up from the smaller number is often the quickest way to find the difference between two numbers. Choose the strategy that makes the sum easiest for you.

For example, to find 52 − 17, you can count up from 17 to 52 in steps: 3 to reach 20, 30 to reach 50 and 2 more to reach 52, which makes 35.