How large do the numbers get?

Operands stay between -15 and 15, so every problem is walkable on a small number line. The work is the signs, not the arithmetic.

Why does every problem have a negative in it?

Plain positive facts are grade-1 work. Each item here involves a negative operand or a negative answer. That is the skill sixth grade adds.

6th grade integers add & subtract

6th grade integers add & subtract worksheets

Sixth grade opens the number line to the left of zero. These drills add and subtract with negative numbers, so your child learns that -3 + 5, 5 − 8, and 4 − -2 are all just walks along the same line.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 7.NS.A.1.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of problems you'll get

Add or subtract. Use the space below each problem for your work.

-7 + -1 =
Answer: -8
0 + -4 =
Answer: -4
47 − 15 =
Answer: 32

Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on a 6th grade sheet

The sample sheet above has 12 problems. Its answers run from -83 to 49.

Integers add & subtract. Add or subtract. Use the space below each problem for your work. 12 problems per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.

How to teach this

Draw one number line and keep it next to the sheet. For each problem, put a finger on the first number and ask two questions: which way does this operation move, and how far? Subtracting a negative is the only tricky step. Read 4 − -2 out loud as "take away a debt of 2" and the move to the right makes sense. Skip the memorized sign rules until the walking is automatic; rules without the line breed sign guesses.

Watch for: Kids treat every pair of negative signs as a positive answer. Two signs only cancel when one is being subtracted or multiplied, so -3 + -5 is -8, not 8. Kids subtract the smaller digit from the larger and guess the sign. Walk the number line instead: -7 + 3 starts at -7 and moves right 3, landing at -4.

Common questions about 6th grade integers add & subtract

How large do the numbers get?: Operands stay between -15 and 15, so every problem is walkable on a small number line. The work is the signs, not the arithmetic.
Why does every problem have a negative in it?: Plain positive facts are grade-1 work. Each item here involves a negative operand or a negative answer. That is the skill sixth grade adds.

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Aligned to Common Core 7.NS.A.1. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 240, updated October 2026.

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