Word problems (separating): Fluency Drill
Kindergarten · Subtraction within 10 · CCSS.Math.K.OA
- Eli had 8 toys and gave away 5. How many toys does Eli have left? ___
- Kai had 6 grapes and gave away 2. How many grapes does Kai have left? ___
- Theo had 9 blocks and gave away 5. How many blocks does Theo have left? ___
- Theo had 9 blocks and gave away 1. How many blocks does Theo have left? ___
- Mara had 7 toys and gave away 3. How many toys does Mara have left? ___
- Lina had 6 cards and gave away 2. How many cards does Lina have left? ___
This is the preview. Hit "Print this worksheet" above to open a clean, ad-free, one-page version with name and date lines and writing space for each problem. A separate answer key prints on the second page for the grown-up. Tear it off before handing the practice page to your child.
This printable worksheet gives Kindergarten students focused practice on Word problems (separating), an essential building block within Subtraction within 10 and one of the milestone skills inside the Common Core CCSS.Math.K.OA cluster.
Because the worksheet is designed for independent practice, the directions are written in friendly student language and avoid teacher-only jargon. Mastery looks like solving most problems correctly without resorting to finger counting or repeated guessing.
This page works well as morning math, as a center rotation, as a short homework assignment, or as a quick formative check before a quiz. The same one-page format also makes it easy to keep a small folder of completed work as evidence for parent–teacher conferences.
Want a different angle on this skill? Try the matching variants in our Kindergarten · Subtraction within 10 collection, or jump up to the cross-grade Subtraction within 10 hub.
Teachers tell us the most useful thing about this Word problems (separating) page is that it can be dropped into morning math, into a small-group rotation, or into a homework folder without any pre-teaching. Students can read the directions, look at the first warm-up, and start working without waiting for a grown-up to translate.
This worksheet is aligned to Common Core State Standard CCSS.Math.K.OA and supports the broader Subtraction within 10 progression that students continue to build through later grades. The same skill is revisited each year with greater abstraction, so the work your student does on this single sheet feeds into the multi-digit and multi-step problems they will see in middle school.
If your student finishes this Word problems (separating) page quickly and easily, take a look at the next printable in the Subtraction within 10 series. The difficulty climbs gradually so kids meet a stretch problem without getting overwhelmed.
Sample problems on this worksheet
- Eli had 8 toys and gave away 5. How many toys does Eli have left? ___
- Kai had 6 grapes and gave away 2. How many grapes does Kai have left? ___
- Theo had 9 blocks and gave away 5. How many blocks does Theo have left? ___
- Theo had 9 blocks and gave away 1. How many blocks does Theo have left? ___
- Mara had 7 toys and gave away 3. How many toys does Mara have left? ___
- Lina had 6 cards and gave away 2. How many cards does Lina have left? ___
How to use this worksheet
Print one copy per child on standard letter or A4 paper. Set a quiet 10 to 15 minute window. Hand your student a sharpened pencil and an eraser, and let them work top to bottom. The first row is a warm-up on purpose. The last row is a stretch on purpose. Sit with them as they finish so any misconceptions surface right away instead of getting practiced into a bad habit.
If your student finishes quickly, flip the page over and ask them to write two new problems of their own that target the same skill. It's a powerful retention move. If they get stuck, pull out manipulatives that match the skill (counters for early addition, base-ten blocks for place value, fraction tiles for fractions) and work through one or two problems together before letting them try the rest on their own.
Common Core alignment
This page targets CCSS.Math.K.OA inside the broader Subtraction within 10 progression. The skill is introduced earlier in elementary school through concrete representations and revisited each year with greater abstraction. To see how it develops across grade levels, visit our Subtraction within 10 hub. To see the rest of the Kindergarten work in this strand, visit the Kindergarten · Subtraction within 10 collection.