Addition And Subtraction Fact Families

An addition and subtraction fact family is a set of four math equations that use the same three numbers and involve addition and subtraction:

• Two addition equations

• The numbers can be added in any order. For example, 2 + 3 = 5 and 3 + 2 = 5.

• Two subtraction equations

• One of the smaller numbers is subtracted from the larger number. For example, 5 - 2 = 3 and 5 - 3 = 2. 

Fact families help children develop their problem-solving skills and analytical thinking. They also help children become more confident with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. 

Here are some examples of addition and subtraction fact families:

• 7, 7, and 14: 7 + 7 = 14 and 14 - 7 = 7 

• 2, 4, and 6: 2 + 4 = 6, 4 + 2 = 6, 6 - 4 = 2, and 6 - 2 = 4 

• 3, 4, and 7: 3 + 4 = 7, 4 + 3 = 7, 7 - 4 = 3, and 7 - 3 = 4 

Fact families can be used to help with subtraction problems. For example, if you know that 9 - 7 = ?, you can rewrite the equation as 7 + _ = 9 using the largest number as the sum. Since 7 + 2 = 9, the missing value is 2, and the original subtraction problem is 9 - 7 = 2.

Most addition and subtraction fact families include two addition and two subtraction facts. For example, the addition/subtraction fact family for the numbers 2, 4, and 6 consists of the following: 2 + 4 = 6, 4 + 2 = 6 and 6 - 4 = 2, 6 - 2 = 4.