Your Child Will Learn
Introductory subtraction
Here’s What to Do
- Put 5 small pieces of food (like cereal) on a plate and count them for your child (point as you count).
- Ask your child to remove 1 piece. Count how many are left on the plate now. (optional: they can eat the snacks they take away!)
- Repeat, until you have 0 snacks.
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE
- Do a silly snack dance before you start.
ENGAGE
- “When you take away one snack, does the amount of snacks get bigger or smaller?”
- Try using subtraction language like: “5 take away 1 is 4!”
ENCOURAGE
- Acknowledge their effort: “You’re learning how to practice subtraction!”
- Your child might not understand the concept of “subtraction” yet, but you’re preparing them for future learning.
REFLECT
- “Do you think we can practice snack subtraction at our next meal?”
Not Quite Ready
Start with just three pieces of food.
Ready for More
Ask your child to count the snacks before and after you take away one.
As Your Child Masters This Skill
They will understand that the total amount is becoming smaller
Time to Complete
10-15 minutes
Materials Needed
small pieces of food (ideas: cereal, crackers, blueberries), plate