Subtraction for kids begins with a story, not a sign. "Five birds sit on a branch. Two fly away. How many are left?" is something a four-year-old can picture, act out and answer long before they can read "5 − 2 = 3". The game above tells exactly these little stories. Your child sees birds on a branch, apples on a plate, butterflies on flowers or fish in a pond. Golu says how many there are and how many go away. Your child taps that many (and watches them fly, swim or get eaten), then picks how many are left. Golu closes with the full sentence: "Five take away two is three", in Hindi and English.
What is subtraction, in a child's words?
For young children subtraction means taking away: you had some, some went away, how many do you still have? Later they meet two other meanings, "how many more" (comparing) and "what is missing" (like a number bond). Take away comes first because it is something they do all day: eating grapes, giving a toy to a sibling, losing a sock. In Hindi, subtraction is घटाना (ghatana), and "how many are left?" is कितने बचे?
How to use this page
- Listen to the story. Tap 🔊 to hear it again at any time.
- Tap the right number of pictures to make them go away. Each tap is counted out loud.
- Count what is still there and pick the number. A wrong pick gets a gentle hint: Golu names the number, then the answer glows, then a 👆 appears.
- The age setting changes the size of the sums: up to 4 things for age 2-3, up to 6 for ages 3-5, and up to 10 for age 5-6.
- After a few stories your child earns a marble for the Goli Jar and a real-world mission.
Subtraction by age
| Age | What children can do | How to help |
|---|---|---|
| 3-4 | "One less" with 2-4 real objects; notices when something is gone | Hide one toy, ask what is missing |
| 4-5 (LKG) | Take away within 5 using objects or fingers | Act out stories with snacks and toys |
| 5-6 (UKG / Kindergarten) | Take away within 10; starts to say the sum in words | Play here, then write the sum together |
| 6-7 (Class 1) | Subtraction within 20; uses number bonds and counting back | Link to counting backwards |
How to teach subtraction at home
Act it out
Line up five toy cars. "Two cars drive to the garage." Your child drives them away and counts the rest. Swap roles so they tell you the story. Acting a sum out is the best subtraction activity at this age because the body remembers it.
Use snack time
Eight grapes on a plate; eat three. "How many are left?" Food keeps attention, and you get honest answers because children always know exactly how much food they still have.
Count back on fingers
Show six fingers, fold down two while saying "five, four". The number you land on is the answer. This counting-back method grows into mental subtraction in Class 1.
Tell subtraction story problems
In the car or at the bus stop, tell a quick story: "Three monkeys were on a tree. One jumped down." Let your child make up the next one. Silly stories are welcome.
Say the whole sentence after each answer: "Six take away two is four." Hearing the full pattern many times builds the language of maths.
When to introduce the minus sign
Wait until your child can solve take-away stories with objects easily, usually around age 5 or 6. Then write the story they just played as a sum: 5 − 2 = 3. Read the minus sign as "take away" at first. Many children in India meet this in UKG, while UK Reception and US kindergarten introduce it in the same year. A subtraction worksheet makes more sense after this stage; before it, real objects teach more.
Common mistakes and gentle fixes
- Counting everything, including what went away. Make the "gone" things really leave: into a bowl, off the table. The game does this by sending them off screen.
- Answering with the number that went away. Ask, "Show me the ones that are still here," and count those together.
- Getting upset at a wrong answer. Keep it light: "Let's count again together." Praise the trying, never "clever".
Every child, every pace
Children with speech delay can point instead of speak, and tapping counts as a full answer. Autistic children may prefer the same scene several times; replaying is fine. If Hindi is your home language, choose Hindi first with the अ+A button so the maths words arrive in the language your child thinks in. Keep screen sessions short and sit with your child; five minutes of play plus real snacks beats half an hour alone with a tablet. For children under two, skip screens and play "all gone" with real food instead.
What to play next
Pair this page with addition for kids so your child sees that adding and taking away undo each other. More and less builds the comparing meaning of subtraction, and counting 1 to 10 is the right warm-up if counting is still shaky.
Questions to ask while you play
Talk turns a tap into thinking. Before your child answers, ask "How many were there at the start?" and "How many went away?" After the answer, ask "How do you know?" and let them show you on the screen or on fingers. Try reversing the story: "Three birds are left and two flew away. How many were there before?" This is harder and perfect for six-year-olds who find the game easy. You can also link it to addition by bringing the birds back: "Two birds come home. How many now?"
