Two-Digit Addition and Subtraction Color by Number
Grades 2–3
Addition and subtraction within 100 in the classic color-by-number layout: every square of the grid holds a problem, and its answer decides the color.
Problems use two-digit numbers up to 100, mixing those with and without regrouping: 36 + 27, 45 + 30, 82 − 49, 70 − 26. Children practice adding tens and ones separately, trading ten ones for a ten, and subtracting when the ones digit on top is too small, as in 82 − 49. Mental strategies such as adding 30 and then 6 work well here, and so do column methods on scrap paper.
This topic uses the color-by-result format. Each square contains a problem, and a legend gives answer ranges with a color for each, for example 1–37 orange, 38–50 yellow and 51–88 do not color. Squares around the picture hold decoy problems whose answers fall in the do-not-color range, so the outline cannot be guessed and every problem has to be solved. The answer key lists each result, which makes marking a stack of sheets quick.
Ask children to write the exact answer in small digits in the corner of each square before they reach for a crayon. It takes a little longer, but you can then check the arithmetic itself, not just whether the color ended up in the right place.
Choose a picture
- Acorn
- Apple
- Autumn leaf
- Bat
- Car
- Cat
- Christmas tree
- Easter egg
- Fox
- Frog
- Ghost
- Toadstool
- Owl
- Pumpkin
- Rocket
- Spider
- Turtle
- Witch Hat
Frequently asked questions
Does this include regrouping (carrying and borrowing)?
Yes. Problems with and without regrouping are mixed on the same sheet, so children have to decide each time whether a ten needs to be carried or broken up.
Why are there problems outside the picture?
Those are decoy squares with answers in the do-not-color range. They hide the outline, so the picture only appears once the problems are actually solved.
What grade is addition and subtraction within 100 for?
It is a core second-grade skill and is usually reviewed in third grade, so the sheets fit both.