Max Rescues the Aurora: Northern Lights Math Challenge

About this Grade 1 Mixed Add Subtract Drill

At age 6 and 7, students are building the mental flexibility to switch between adding and subtracting within the same problem—a crucial step toward real-world math thinking. When your child counts their allowance, then spends some, then finds more coins, they're actually doing mixed operations. This skill strengthens number sense and helps children see that addition and subtraction are related tools, not isolated tricks. By practicing mixed-add-subtract problems, students develop what mathematicians call "operation sense"—the ability to choose and execute the right strategy quickly. This foundation is essential for second grade, where problems become more complex and word problems demand careful reading. The drill-and-practice format here builds automaticity so your child can focus on harder problem-solving later, not on basic facts.

What your student will practice

• Solve problems combining addition and subtraction in one sequence
• Identify which operation to perform first when given mixed symbols
• Build automaticity with mixed operations within 10 and 20
• Apply addition and subtraction facts flexibly across multiple steps

Common mistakes to watch for

The most common error is that first graders solve mixed problems left-to-right without reading the operation symbols carefully. You'll see a child write 8 + 3 - 2 = 14 (adding everything together) instead of 9. Another frequent mistake is forgetting to update their mental number after the first operation, so they subtract from the original number instead of the new sum. Watch for students who pause and count on their fingers for the second operation—this shows they haven't internalized the first step. Ask them to say the middle number aloud after the first operation to check their thinking.