Take Away shows subtraction as something a child can see. Seven biscuits are on the board. Three have been crossed out. How many are left to eat?
What your child is learning
Subtraction is harder than addition for most children, partly because the idea of "less" is harder than "more", and partly because the symbol is new. This game ties the written sum, 7 − 3, to a picture of exactly that happening.
Seeing the crossed-out objects also prepares children for the link between adding and taking away. The four that remain and the three that have gone still make seven.
How to help
Tell it as a story. "There were seven biscuits. Somebody ate three. How many now?" Children solve stories more easily than bare sums.
Count the ones that are not crossed out. Point to each as you go.
Then try it another way. Start at the first number and count backwards as many times as the second: seven... six, five, four. Fingers are helpful here.
Talk about the minus sign. Say "take away" at first. "Subtract" and "minus" can come later.
If your child adds by mistake, which is very common, point to the sign and ask what it tells us to do.
Taking it further
Use snacks. Five grapes, eat two, how many left? It is the one maths lesson nobody complains about.
Notice the pairs. If your child knows that 4 + 3 = 7, show them that 7 − 3 = 4 uses the same three numbers.
All answers are below ten, and there is no timer. Of the number HTML5 games on this site, this is the best one to play slowly.