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Adding and Subtracting Negatives: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 7
- ForYear 7
- StageKey Stage 3
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Adding and Subtracting Negatives is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 7 (ages 11 to 12) in Key Stage 3. Children jump along a number line to add and subtract negative numbers. It takes about 15 minutes, needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and the answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children work through numbered questions with space to write each answer. The sheet mixes different kinds of question: taking a bigger number from a smaller one, adding a negative number, and subtracting a negative number. Some start below zero. Children can sketch a number line in the margin and draw each jump as an arrow, so they see where they start, which way they move and where they land.
- 3 - 5 =
- -4 + 7 =
- -2 - 3 =
- 5 + (-8) =
- 2 - (-4) =
- -6 - (-2) =
- -3 + (-4) =
- -1 - (-5) =
A worked example
1 minus (negative 3) = ?
This question is not on the sheet. It shows two ways children can work.
Method 1: jump on a number line- Draw a number line and put a dot on 1.
- Subtracting a negative number turns the jump around. Subtracting would usually go left, so this jump goes right.
- Jump 3 places to the right: 2, 3, 4.
- Subtracting a negative number gives the same answer as adding the matching positive number.
- Rewrite 1 minus (negative 3) as 1 plus 3.
- Work it out: 1 plus 3 is 4. Check it on the number line.
Building number line confidence
Start with the picture
Ask your child to draw the number line before they calculate. A line from negative 10 to 10 is enough. Seeing zero in the middle makes it clear that numbers continue to the left.
Say the jump aloud
Before drawing, say it in words: "start at 3, jump left 5." Putting the move into words helps children choose the right direction.
Notice the signs
Two signs can sit side by side. Ask what each sign is doing: one tells you to add or subtract, the other tells you whether the number is positive or negative.
Estimate, then check
Ask, "Will the answer be above or below zero?" A quick guess makes it easier to spot an answer that cannot be right.
Why negative numbers can feel tricky
Up to now, most of the numbers children use count things they can see, such as apples or pencils. Negative numbers describe amounts below zero, and that is a bigger step in thinking. In addition and subtraction, the sign of the number and the sign of the operation can look alike, so it is easy to mix them up.
A number line helps because it turns the rules into movement. Adding moves one way, subtracting moves the other, and a negative sign reverses the direction. Children who can picture the jumps usually find the rules easier to remember. Over time, many learn to skip the drawing and work from the pattern.
Where negative numbers show up
- Temperatures below freezing are written as negative numbers on the Celsius scale.
- Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, so a temperature below that is negative.
- Some buildings have floors below ground level, and lifts can show these with negative numbers.
- Zero is neither positive nor negative.
- Every positive number has an opposite on the other side of zero.
Skills and curriculum link
- Number line
- Negative numbers
- Adding and subtracting
- Working with signs
- Checking answers
Ideas that help
- Zero is the middleZero sits between the positive and negative numbers. Moving across zero is where most mistakes happen, so slow down there.
- Direction mattersAdding a positive number moves right on a number line. Subtracting a positive number moves left.
- Two signs togetherWhen a negative number is in brackets after a plus or minus, deal with the two signs one at a time and think about what each one does.
- OppositesA number and its opposite are the same distance from zero. The opposite of 5 is negative 5.
Key words
- Negative numberA number less than zero. It is written with a minus sign in front.
- Positive numberA number greater than zero.
- IntegerA whole number. It can be positive, negative or zero.
- Number lineA line with numbers in order. Children jump along it to add and subtract.
- OppositeThe number the same distance from zero on the other side. The opposite of 3 is negative 3.
- SubtractTake away, or find how far to move back along the number line.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Give your child a pencil and sketch a number line in the margin if it helps. Allow about 15 minutes.
- Work through the first questions together. Talk about which way each jump goes and why.
- Check against the answers on page 2. Ask, "How did you work that out?" The reasoning matters as much as the answer.
- Come back to the sheet another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Draw a number line from negative 10 to 10. Put a dot on the start number and draw each jump as an arrow. Adding a positive goes right. Subtracting a positive goes left. Do the first few questions together, then let your child try the rest alone.
To stretch confident children
Make up three questions where the answer is exactly negative 10. Use a mix of adding, subtracting and negative numbers in brackets. Swap with a partner and check each other's work on a number line. Then try to write a question that uses three numbers.
Make it a game
Play with a partner. One player picks two numbers between negative 10 and 10 and a sign. The other works out the answer on a number line. Swap roles each turn. Score a point for every correct answer. The first to ten points wins.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child works out 4 minus 7 as 3 and drops the negative sign from the answer.
Try thisDraw a number line and jump 7 places left from 4. Point out that the jump passes zero and lands on the left of it, so the answer is negative.
Watch forA child treats subtracting a negative number like subtracting a positive one and jumps left.
Try thisRemind them that subtracting a negative reverses the direction. Try 1 minus (negative 3) on a number line, then rewrite it as an addition to see the pattern.
Watch forA child counts the start number as the first jump, so the answer is one place out.
Try thisPut a dot on the start number. Count only the jumps after it, saying each landing number aloud as they go.
Talk about it
- Which way do you move on a number line when you add? And when you subtract?
- What happens when a jump crosses zero?
- Can you explain what the two signs in a row are doing?
- How can you tell if an answer should be below zero before you work it out?
- Where have you seen negative numbers outside school?
- Which question did you find hardest, and what helped?
Take it off the page
Floor number line
Use masking tape to make a number line on the floor from negative 10 to 10. Call out a question and let your child walk the jumps. Check with a pencil drawing afterwards.
Thermometer drawing
Draw a tall thermometer with zero marked in the middle. Pick a start temperature and a change, such as going up 4 or down 6. Mark where the temperature ends up.
Lift game
Draw a tall building with floors above and below ground. Make up journeys in a lift, such as going down 3 floors from floor 1, and say which floor you reach.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first few questions, then let them lead. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty. If they get stuck, ask them to sketch a number line and draw each jump as an arrow.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task or homework after teaching directed numbers. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups, and the sheet needs no preparation beyond printing.
Home educators
Pair the sheet with a floor number line or a thermometer drawing to make negatives real. Short sessions work better than long ones. Print it again for brothers and sisters, or for revision a few weeks later.
Where this fits
In primary school, children meet negative numbers in everyday settings such as temperature and count forwards and backwards through zero. By the end of Year 6 they also use all four quadrants of a coordinate grid. This sheet builds on that by asking children to calculate with negative numbers rather than just read and order them.
After this, children usually move on to multiplying and dividing with negative numbers. They then use negatives in algebra, such as substituting into expressions and solving equations with negative answers. A secure number line picture now makes that later work easier.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Adding and Subtracting Negatives for?
It is written for Year 7 (ages 11 to 12) in Key Stage 3. Younger children who are confident with negative numbers on a number line may enjoy it, and older children can use it for revision.
- What will children practise?
They practise adding and subtracting with negative numbers by jumping on a number line. The sheet includes questions that cross zero and questions with a negative number in brackets.
- How long does it take?
Most children finish page 1 in 10 to 20 minutes. A number line in the margin helps. Stop and return later if your child tires, as short sessions work better than long ones.
- Do children need to know any rules first?
No. The sheet is built around jumping on a number line, so children can work from the picture. They can spot the rules for themselves as they go. Page 2 has the answers to check against.
- What if it feels too hard?
Draw a number line from negative 10 to 10 and show each jump as an arrow. Work through the first few questions together. Let your child say each jump aloud before they draw it.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. It works as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 includes help and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
- Is it free and screen free?
Yes to both. It is free to print for home and classroom use. It needs only paper and a pencil, and black and white printing on plain A4 paper works well.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.