Max Rescues the Magic Show: Subtract-by-Tens Sprint!

About this Grade 1 Subtracting Multiples Of 10 Drill

Subtracting multiples of 10 is a foundational skill that helps your child understand how our base-10 number system works. When first graders master removing groups of 10 from numbers like 45 or 38, they're building mental math flexibility that makes all future subtraction easier and faster. This skill also connects directly to money (removing dimes), telling time (counting backward by tens), and breaking larger problems into smaller, manageable chunks. At ages 6-7, children's brains are developing the ability to recognize patterns, and multiples of 10 are the most obvious patterns in our number system. By practicing these problems, your child learns that subtracting 10 from 50 is just as simple as subtracting 1 from 5—a huge cognitive leap. This confidence with tens becomes the stepping stone to subtraction with regrouping and eventually multiplication and division.

What your student will practice

• Fluently subtract multiples of 10 from two-digit numbers using tens and ones decomposition
• Recognize that subtracting 10 is the same as removing one ten from the tens place
• Apply base-10 place value understanding to solve subtraction problems mentally
• Build speed and automaticity with multiples of 10 subtraction facts

Common mistakes to watch for

The most common error is that students try to subtract 10 from the ones place instead of the tens place. For example, when solving 34 - 10, they might write 24 or even 33 because they're subtracting from the wrong digit. Another frequent mistake is confusing which number comes first—some children reverse the problem and calculate 10 - 34. You can spot these errors by looking for answers that don't make sense (like getting a bigger number or a number in the single digits) or by watching whether your child points to the tens place when removing a ten.