K-5 friendly lesson

Try one idea, then jump into the activity.These lessons are designed to feel short, friendly, and easy to follow.

Subtracting 3

3️⃣ Time for a triple hop! Subtracting 3 is just as easy as counting backward a little bit farther.

Lesson 5

Concept

Subtracting 3 just means taking away three things. You can use your fingers or count backward in your head! 🎯 **The "Three Finger" Trick:** **Example: 9 - 3 = ?** 1. Say "9" out loud and hold up 3 fingers. 2. Say the next number backward ("8") and put one finger down. 3. Say "7" and put another finger down. 4. Say "6" and put the last finger down. Your fingers are all down, and the last number you said was 6! So, **9 - 3 = 6**.

Try it

Get ready to count back 3! **Instructions:** Start at the big number and count back three times. **Problem 1: 10 - 3 = ?** * Start at 10. Count back: "9, 8, ___" * Answer: ___ **Problem 2: 6 - 3 = ?** * Answer: ___ **Problem 3: 14 - 3 = ?** * Answer: ___ **Problem 4: 18 - 3 = ?** * Answer: ___