2nd Grade Picture Subtraction to 50 Worksheet: Write the Sentence

Show a seven-year-old a row of fruit with several pieces crossed out, ask what happened, and you will hear a little story about someone eating them. This 2nd grade picture subtraction to 50 worksheet asks your child to turn those stories into numbers. Five pictures fill the page: oranges, apples, potatoes, mushrooms and strawberries, each arranged in rows with some already crossed out. Your child counts the whole set, counts the crossed-out ones, and writes the subtraction sentence in the box. The answer key models the first one step by step, 36 - 10 = 26, and the largest picture holds 50 strawberries. A second page gives the answer key.

Why reading a picture builds subtraction sense

Most subtraction practice hands children the numbers. This page hands them a picture and asks them to find the numbers themselves. That is harder, and closer to real life, where nobody labels the starting amount.

Each subtraction sentence has three parts: the whole set, the part taken away, and what remains. The crossed-out pictures make the middle part visible, so your child can check that the sentence matches the scene.

The rows help with bigger numbers. The oranges sit in three rows of twelve, and the strawberries in two rows of twenty and one of ten. So a child who can count by rows reaches 36 or 50 without touching every fruit. Structure beats speed.

At the table: the mushrooms and the potatoes

Start with the oranges, since the answer key models them. Ask, "How many in all? How many crossed out?"

The mushrooms are where counts slip. Two rows of fifteen and a short row of six make 36, and nine mushrooms are crossed out on each long row. A child may count only the crossed ones on the first row. Point to the second row and ask whether those count too.

The potatoes test the order of the sentence. Some children write 12 - 30 because the crossed-out ones catch the eye first. Ask which number shows the whole set, and let your child rewrite. Finally, read each finished sentence aloud as a story. Order matters here.

Grapes, potatoes and I Spy

Subtraction pictures are easy to make at home. Lay out twenty grapes in two rows, eat a few together, and ask your child to write the sentence. With a bag of potatoes, set some aside for dinner and count what remains.

Also, I Spy works well in the kitchen with a subtraction twist. Spot twelve eggs in a box, use four for breakfast, and ask your child how many the box holds now.

Once you finish the page, check the five sentences with the answer key. Then praise the counting: "You counted the whole set first. That made every sentence right."