Kindergarten subtraction should be fun and hands-on. The science of math tells us that kids need direct instruction, modeling, dialogue, and lots of practice. Chasing Chickens is a fun, low-prep subtraction game that gets kids moving, talking, and practicing subtraction.
Kindergarten Subtraction: Chasing Chickens
To prep the game, you need chickens. The chickens are actually balloons. We use yellow balloons for chickens. You can use pink for chasing pigs, white for sheep, etc. Use a Sharpie to write equations on the balloons. To get the balloons from home to school, we put them in a big trash bag!
Subtraction Games: Chase the chickens
Get the kids excited by telling the kids there are chickens in the closet, and we’re going to let them out, and they have to chase them. Ya’ll. They get so excited thinking we will do subtraction by chasing chickens.
To play, we throw the balloons (chickens) around the room. When I say “chase,” they grab a balloon, write the equation, and answer on their recording sheet. When they finish, they throw the chicken and prepare for the next one! As they’re playing, I walk around checking their work, helping when needed, and observing. I love watching them utilize the strategies we’ve learned and hearing them talk about math and how they solved their problems.
Check out this video to see our kindergarten subtraction game in action! And yes, we set the stage to engage by using chicken noises when we play this game!
Click the image to get your FREE recording sheet!
For more kindergarten subtraction resources, check out these resources:
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