If you need a fun math activity for December, this Christmas Subtraction Bowling activity is sure to be a hit! I'm all about hands-on learning, especially when students have extra Christmas energy. This subtraction activity includes a whole-group component that utilizes a Christmas tree bowling set. It also has a small group or individual practice component where students use Christmas mini erasers and a bouncy ball to practice subtracting from 10! Be sure to download the free Subtraction Bowling printable HERE.
To set up the bowling area, I taped a piece of Fadeless® White Shiplap Bulletin Board Paper Roll to the wall. To make the "Christmas Bowling" words I taped Black Dot-to-Dot Uppercase Letters to the paper and then hung Mod & Merry Snowflake Garland across the top of the paper. For the bowling alley, I put a Black Rectangle Vinyl Tablecloth with Flannel Back onto the floor and then set the Holiday Bowling Game onto it. I love how it turned out!
Subtracting from 10 is a foundational math skill. To practice this, have students take turns rolling the red bowling ball to try to knock down the Christmas tree pins. The number they knock down is the part that is taken away and the pins that are still standing is the part left over (example, if 6 are knocked down then it would be 10-6=4). Students can use the Bowling Subtraction printable to record the results (download the free printable HERE). Using a clipboard allows students to have a sturdy surface to record the subtraction sentence near the bowling area. Students also love special pencils, so adding these Christmas Pencils with Eraser Toppers to the activity makes it more exciting!
The Holiday Bowling Game is perfect to use in the whole-group part of your lesson or you can also use it in small groups too. It's also easy to adapt this activity for individual practice by having students set up 10 Holiday Erasers on their desk and use a Bouncy Ball as their bowling ball. They will roll the Bouncy Ball one time to knock down the erasers and then record the subtraction sentence on the Bowling Subtraction recording sheet (download the recording sheet HERE). You could even have students do this in partners.
This Christmas Bowling activity is such a fun way for students to practice subtracting from 10! If you'd like to try Bowling Addition, grab the free printable and instructions in my Candy Corn Addition Bowling post.
