The subtraction games are designed so that players will always subtract smaller numbers from larger numbers, producing positive answers.
When playing the subtraction games, some children ask if they can change the rules and subtract larger from smaller numbers to get negative answers. This can happen when children understand the concepts of subtraction and negative numbers, but still need to get better at solving subtraction problems correctly.
Depending on the circumstances, it may be fine to say yes and allow children to use negative numbers.
However, you may have a concern that negative numbers could confuse some learners (for example, if you are a classroom teacher with many students in your class). In this case, it might make sense to ask learners to use positive numbers in class and save negative numbers for independent study.
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August 18, 2020