Decrease Operations

This subtraction worksheet features 24 two-digit subtraction problems with missing subtrahends. Students analyze each equation to determine what number was subtracted to produce the given difference, encouraging careful reasoning and strong place-value awareness. The mix of easier and moderately challenging values keeps the practice accessible while still promoting analytical thinking. The clean format makes this worksheet well suited for centers, warm-ups, or focused number-sense lessons.

Instructional Objectives

• Skill Focus (Grades 2-3): Identify missing subtrahends in two-digit subtraction equations accurately.
• Conceptual Understanding (Grades 2-3): Strengthen place-value reasoning by analyzing how changes in the tens and ones places affect subtraction outcomes.
• Algebraic Reasoning (Grade 3): Develop early algebra skills by solving equations with unknown values and maintaining equality.
• Curriculum Alignment (Grades 2-3): Supports tens-place subtraction, unknown values in equations, place-value application, and analytical thinking.

The emphasis on reconstructing what was taken away helps students move beyond routine computation and toward deeper understanding of subtraction relationships.

Learning Benefits

• Builds confidence solving subtraction problems with missing subtrahends
• Reinforces place-value understanding with two-digit numbers
• Strengthens reasoning and analytical thinking skills
• Ideal for centers, warm-ups, review, or number-sense instruction

This printable worksheet delivers meaningful, confidence-building practice that helps students master two-digit subtraction with unknown values while strengthening number sense and early algebraic thinking.

This worksheet is part of our Missing Number Subtraction Worksheets collection.