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Picture math
Subtract With Pictures
What’s Left at the Harvest Party?
Count pies and fruit, trace the cross-out marks, and find out how many are left on the party table.
- Age 5
- 15 min
- Medium
- Any group size
- Picture math
Learning areas
Skills practised
About this activity
On this page, children solve five subtraction problems using pictures of pies and fruit. They trace the cross-out marks, count what is left, and write each answer.
The activity helps children see that taking things away makes a group smaller and connect pictures with numbers.
Learning objectives
- Count the pictures left after some are taken away.
- Connect a subtraction problem to the crossed-out pictures.
- Write the number of pictures left in each problem.
The printable
Print
What you need
- Printed activity sheet
- Pencil
- Eraser
How to do it
- Gather the activity sheet and a pencil.
- Introduce the idea of a party table with pies and fruit that are being taken away.
- In the first problem, point to the five pictures and read, “Five minus two.”
- Trace the marks over the two crossed-out pictures and count the pictures that are left.
- Invite the child to write the answer and try the other problems.
- When finished, talk about how you found out what was left.
Teaching suggestions
- Say, “Let’s count only the pictures that aren’t crossed out.”
- If counting is tricky, point to one picture at a time together.
- Connect the activity to everyday life, such as taking fruit out of a fruit bowl.
- In a group, invite each child to share their strategy without rushing them.
Variations
Make it easier
Cover the other problems and work on one at a time, counting the pictures together.
Add a challenge
Ask the child to predict how many will be left before counting the pictures that are not crossed out.
Extend the activity
Draw more fruit on a sheet of paper. Let the child choose some to cross out, then count how many are left.
Talk about it
- How did you find out how many pictures were left?
- What happened to the number when some pictures were taken away?
- How could you show this problem another way?
What to look for
- Notice whether the child identifies the crossed-out pictures as the ones taken away.
- Watch whether the child counts each remaining picture once.
- Check whether the child writes a number that matches the amount left.
Ten frames
Number practice