Printivu

Subtraction Color by Number

Every square holds a subtraction problem and the legend maps answers to colors: solve, look up the answer, color. The picture is hidden until enough squares are done, which is the whole trick for getting first and second grade students through 144 facts without complaint. The picture is chosen at random from the site's set (rocket, butterfly, cat and more) and changes with New version, along with every problem. Problems use differences from 3 to 17, no negatives.

Mode

Solve the difference, color by the answer.

Paper size
Subtraction Color by NumberSubtract, then color by the answerNameDate5 = light blue9 = orange10 = yellow16 − 1113 − 812 − 713 − 813 − 814 − 516 − 78 − 316 − 117 − 213 − 87 − 212 − 717 − 811 − 612 − 78 − 314 − 421 − 1116 − 1117 − 1211 − 615 − 66 − 116 − 1116 − 1118 − 98 − 312 − 213 − 320 − 1018 − 813 − 819 − 107 − 210 − 511 − 611 − 615 − 1020 − 1020 − 1020 − 1022 − 1222 − 1218 − 811 − 611 − 67 − 27 − 214 − 921 − 1113 − 321 − 1116 − 617 − 715 − 517 − 722 − 1210 − 515 − 1020 − 1120 − 1015 − 520 − 1016 − 620 − 1019 − 911 − 111 − 116 − 615 − 521 − 1219 − 1019 − 919 − 919 − 922 − 1221 − 1113 − 315 − 519 − 913 − 321 − 1111 − 212 − 79 − 416 − 612 − 218 − 813 − 317 − 721 − 1120 − 1016 − 617 − 1213 − 815 − 1011 − 616 − 1116 − 619 − 913 − 316 − 616 − 615 − 56 − 115 − 1011 − 66 − 112 − 719 − 1015 − 1013 − 316 − 611 − 113 − 317 − 1217 − 815 − 1016 − 1114 − 920 − 1115 − 1010 − 516 − 1117 − 714 − 46 − 116 − 1112 − 714 − 513 − 813 − 89 − 411 − 617 − 1214 − 920 − 1119 − 109 − 48 − 37 − 213 − 87 − 2printivu.comPage 1 of 2
2 pages

Ready-made PDFs

One-click downloads, answer key included, a different puzzle in each.

Subtraction Color by Number, set 1 preview
Set 1PDF
Subtraction Color by Number, set 2 preview
Set 2PDF
Subtraction Color by Number, set 3 preview
Set 3PDF

FAQ

How many problems are on one page?

144, one per square, which sounds like a lot until the picture starts showing. Each legend color gets roughly the same number of squares, so no answer can be guessed from how often it appears.

Do all the problems have different answers?

No, and that is the point: there are only as many answers as legend colors (three to five), so the same answer comes up many times with different problems. The subtraction facts themselves vary across the page; differences from 3 to 17, no negatives.

Can this be colored on a tablet?

Yes. Color online gives a tap-to-fill palette and brush over the same grid, and the finished picture saves as an image.

How do I print this color by number worksheet?

Click Download PDF and print at 100% scale. The page is already sized for US Letter with printer-safe margins, so no fit-to-page fiddling is needed.

Which picture will I get?

One of the site's pixel pictures, picked by the page's seed; New version picks another and regenerates the problems. To choose a picture, open its own page (heart, rocket, butterfly and so on) and switch the Mode there.

What is on the answer key page?

The finished picture, colored in. Print it as a reference for younger kids, or keep it hidden so the reveal is the reward.

Can I get different versions for each student?

Turn on the 5 versions switch before downloading. You get five different sheets in one PDF, each with its own answer key, so neighbouring desks cannot copy.

Related printables

Heart Color by NumberStar Color by NumberFish Color by NumberRocket Color by NumberWord Search Puzzles