Year 2 Addition and Subtraction Strategies: Examples, Activities and Printable Worksheets

🌟 Overview

Explore addition and subtraction in Year 2 using fun mental math strategies, place value, number lines, fact families and word problems. Students learn how to add and subtract 1- and 2-digit numbers, explain their thinking and choose a strategy that helps them solve each question.

They build confidence with number bonds, make 10, near doubles, counting back, counting up, tens and ones, regrouping and simple problem solving. Students also learn how addition and subtraction are connected.

📂 Subtopics Included

Includes engaging videos and worksheets for. Please click on the link to access the worksheets and videos for each subtopic:

Step	Lesson	What You Learn
1	➕ Add 1- and 2-Digit Numbers with Mental Maths: Make 10, Near Doubles and Number Line Strategies	Use mental addition strategies such as make 10, near doubles and number-line jumps. Add 1-digit and 2-digit numbers using known facts, tens and ones.
2	➕ How to Add 2-Digit Numbers with Regrouping (Carrying)	Add 2-digit numbers when the ones make 10 or more. Trade 10 ones for 1 ten, then add the tens to solve questions such as 28+15.
3	🧩 Addition and Subtraction Fact Families: Number Bonds and Missing Numbers	Use two parts and one whole to write connected addition and subtraction facts. Solve missing-number questions and use addition to check subtraction answers.
4	➖ How to Subtract Within 20: Counting Back, Counting Up and Think-Addition Strategies	Subtract within 20 by counting back, counting up to find the difference and using related addition facts. Choose a strategy that makes subtraction easier.
5	➖ How to Subtract 2-Digit Numbers Without Regrouping	Subtract ones from ones and tens from tens when no trade is needed. Use place-value models and number-line jumps for questions such as $58 – 24$ .
6	➖ How to Subtract 2-Digit Numbers with Regrouping (Borrowing)	Learn that regrouping means trading 1 ten for 10 ones. Use tens-and-ones models and number lines to solve subtraction questions such as $53 – 17$ .
7	➕➖ Addition and Subtraction Word Problems: Bar Models and Number Sentences	Read maths stories, work out whether to add or subtract, draw bar models and write number sentences to solve problems.

📚 Curriculum Reference

This topic and its worksheets are aligned with the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics (Version 9.0).

Code: AC9M2N04 – Add and subtract one- and two-digit numbers, represent problems using number sentences, and solve using part-part-whole reasoning and a variety of calculation strategies.

🔗 Related Learning Areas

These topics work well alongside AC9M2N04:

🔢 Recognise, Represent and Order Numbers to 1000 (AC9M2N01)
🔟 Partition, Rearrange, Regroup and Rename Two- and Three-Digit Numbers (AC9M2N02)
🧩 Addition and Subtraction Facts to 20 (AC9M2A02)
📈 Additive Number Patterns and Missing Numbers (AC9M2A01)
✖️ Multiplication and Division: Doubling and Halving (AC9M2A03)
💰 Money: Count, Represent and Make Simple Purchases (AC9M2N05)

📝 Helpful Tips

Start with real objects before number sentences. Use counters, buttons, blocks, toy cars, pencils or snacks to show adding more and taking away.
Build quick recall of number facts within 20 using number bonds, ten frames, make-10 pairs and fact families.
Teach children that different strategies can help with different questions:
- ➕ Make 10: $8 + 5$ 8+5 can become $8 + 2 + 3$ 8+2+3
- ➕ Near doubles: $6 + 7$ 6+7 can become $6 + 6 + 1$ 6+6+1
- 🔙 Count back: useful when taking away a small number, such as $17 – 3$ 17−3
- ➡️ Count up: useful for finding a small gap, such as $15 – 12$ 15−12
- 🧠 Think addition: use $8 + \Box = 13$ 8+□=13 to solve $13 – 8$ 13−8
- 🔟 Place value: split 2-digit numbers into tens and ones
- 📏 Number lines: use big jumps of 10 and small jumps of 1
Introduce regrouping with hands-on materials first:
- ➕ Addition regrouping: trade 10 ones for 1 ten
- ➖ Subtraction regrouping: trade 1 ten for 10 ones