NCERT Maths Mela, Class 3, textbook pages 150–164

How to teach Class 3 Maths Chapter 12, Give and Take, at home

Adding and subtracting 3-digit numbers, taught with things you already have at home: a 10-minute activity, a game for the week, a 5-day plan and the mistakes to watch for.

HTO36452416+16 + 5 = 11 tenscarry 1 hundred

NCERT Class 3 Maths Chapter 12 Give and Take: what it teaches

A plant nursery gives and takes saplings: 364 + 52, 230 − 75. Your child draws a box diagram to see what is known, then adds and subtracts in hundreds, tens and ones, regrouping when needed, and checks on a number line.

Why it matters later. Three-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping is the standard written method your child will use through primary school.

See it: this chapter in pictures

230 ordered75 packed? still to packbox diagram: 230 − 75
Draw the story before working it out.
6 tens + 5 tens = 11 tens10 tens make 1 hundred, 1 ten left
Regrouping: 10 tens become a hundred.
230 − 75 = 155check:155 + 75 = 230 ✓
Add back to check any subtraction.

You need

  • paper squares, strips and ones (or sticks in bundles)
  • squared paper for columns
  • a number line

Tonight’s 10 minutes

  1. Draw a box diagram: a long bar for the total, split into the parts you know and don’t know.
  2. Add 364 + 52 with squares, strips and ones. When tens make more than 10, swap 10 tens for a hundred.
  3. Subtract 230 − 75: there are no ones to take 5 from, so open a ten, then a hundred if needed.
  4. Check subtraction by adding the answer back: 155 + 75 = 230.

Words to use

  • hundreds
  • tens
  • ones
  • regroup
  • carry
  • borrow
  • check

Watch for

  • Not regrouping when tens pass 10. Build it. 16 tens do not fit in one place; 10 of them become a hundred.
  • Subtracting the smaller digit from the bigger, whatever the order. Say “top minus bottom” in each place, opening a ten when the top is smaller.

What it sounds like at home

A short example of the conversation. Your words will differ; the questions are what matter.

You230 − 75. Can you take 5 ones from 0?

Your childNo.

YouOpen a ten. There are 3 tens.

Your child2 tens and 10 ones. 10 − 5 = 5.

YouNow tens: 2 − 7?

Your childOpen a hundred… 12 − 7 = 5. Answer 155.

A game for this week: Nursery shop

  1. Start the nursery with 500 saplings (written on paper).
  2. Take turns: a customer takes some, a supplier brings some.
  3. After each turn, work out the new total.
  4. Check on a calculator or by adding back.

A 5-day plan, 10 minutes a day

  1. Day 1Box diagrams for stories.
  2. Day 2Add with regrouping tens.
  3. Day 3Subtract, opening a ten.
  4. Day 4Subtract across zero (230 − 75).
  5. Day 5Nursery shop game.

Everyday moments to practise

  • Adding bills for a family trip.
  • Money left after shopping.
  • Distance left on a journey.
  • Points in a game over rounds.

Quick check

Ask these at the end of the week. Tap to see the answer.

364 + 52?

416.

230 − 75?

155.

How can you check 230 − 75 = 155?

Add 155 + 75 and get 230.

Ready for the next chapter when your child…

  • Adds and subtracts 3-digit numbers with regrouping.
  • Draws a box diagram for a word problem.
  • Checks subtraction by adding.

Activities, wording and illustrations are Mathify Kids’ own, following the topics of NCERT’s Maths Mela (Class 3). See the full Class 3 parent guide for every chapter.

Questions parents ask

What is a box diagram?

A bar split into parts to show the total and the parts in a word problem.

How do I teach borrowing from zero?

For 230 − 75, open a hundred into 10 tens first, then a ten into 10 ones.

Should my child use a number line too?

Yes, it helps check whether the answer is sensible.