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This Subtracting Multiples Of 10 drill has 40 problems for Grade 1. Skiing theme. Answer key included.
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Max zoomed down the ski slope but lost his supplies! He must subtract by tens to find them all before the avalanche!
Standard: CCSS.MATH.1.NBT.C.6
Preview
Page 1 — Drill
Page 2 — Answer Key
What's Included
About this Grade 1 Subtracting Multiples Of 10 Drill
Subtracting multiples of 10 is a foundational skill that helps first graders understand how our number system works in chunks of ten. When children master 45 - 10 or 60 - 20, they're not just solving math problems—they're learning that numbers can be taken apart and put back together in predictable ways. This skill builds mental math fluency, meaning kids can solve problems faster without always counting on their fingers. It also prepares them for two-digit subtraction later on, where breaking numbers into tens and ones becomes essential. At ages 6 and 7, children's brains are primed to see patterns, and subtracting multiples of 10 reveals one of the most important patterns in elementary math. When a child realizes that 50 - 20 works the same way as 5 - 2, they've glimpsed mathematical structure that will serve them for years.
What your student will practice
- Subtract multiples of 10 from two-digit numbers fluently
- Recognize that only the tens digit changes when subtracting multiples of 10
- Apply place-value understanding to solve subtraction problems
- Build automaticity with fact families involving tens
Common mistakes to watch for
The most common error is that students subtract incorrectly because they treat 10, 20, 30 as single units rather than groups of ten. For example, a child might compute 35 - 20 and get 25 because they subtract the 2 from the 5 in the ones place instead of from the 3 in the tens place. Another frequent mistake is counting down by ones when subtracting—so instead of jumping down by 10, they count: 35, 34, 33, 32... all the way to 15. You'll spot this by watching them work or seeing messy tally marks. If a student struggles with 40 - 10 or gets answers that don't end in the same ones digit as the original number, they need more ten-frame or base-ten block practice.
Create a simple 'ski slope' subtraction game using a number line drawn on paper or a hallway floor. Mark multiples of 10 (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) as ski stops. Call out a starting number like 50, then say 'Subtract 20!' and have your child jump or skip backward along the line to 30. This physical movement helps cement the pattern that you're only moving along the tens, not counting individual steps. Repeat with different starting numbers, and your child will internalize that subtracting 10, 20, or 30 means moving the same distance every time.