The key question when teaching subtraction is “how many are left?”.

Use math word problems to bring maths to life and give meaning to concepts that can otherwise be confusing. Use real life objects (manipulatives) to explore the problems in an active, hands-on and engaging way. Stuffed animals make great manipulatives for learning maths. 

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For this activity:

1. Stuffed toys can act as characters to create maths problems to solve. For example, “There are 8 M&Ms on the table but Teddy eats 3 of them. How many are left?”
2. After solving the problem, write down the math sentence (8 – 3 = 5) on a whiteboard or paper to reinforce the number sentence form of the math problem.
3. Real life situations will bring the concept of subtraction to life!