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Dodgeball Maths

Dodgeball personal bests maths challenge

A child-friendly sports challenge using personal bests to practise subtraction with real examples.

Quick answer

You can use subtraction to find how much your personal best score improved in dodgeball by comparing your old score with your new score.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to use subtraction to find the difference between your old dodgeball score and your new personal best score. Success signs:
  • You can subtract two numbers to find how much more you scored
  • You can use subtraction to compare your old and new scores
  • You can explain how subtraction helps you track your progress
  • You can solve a real dodgeball challenge using subtraction

Why this matters

Subtraction helps you understand how much you've improved at dodgeball. When you play dodgeball, you can keep track of your personal bests and see how much you've grown. This is useful not just for dodgeball, but for many things in life like saving money, measuring how fast you run, or seeing how much taller you've grown. Understanding subtraction helps you compare things and see progress.

How it works

To find how much your personal best improved, you need to:
  1. Find your old score
  2. Find your new score
  3. Subtract the old score from the new score
  4. That answer tells you how much better you are

Examples you can see

Let's imagine you play dodgeball and keep track of your scores. Example 1: Last week you scored 8 balls. This week you scored 12 balls. How much better did you do?
  • Old score: 8 balls
  • New score: 12 balls
  • Subtract: 12 - 8 = 4
  • You did 4 better this week!
Example 2: Your friend Sarah scored 5 balls last week and 10 balls this week. How much did she improve?
  • Old score: 5 balls
  • New score: 10 balls
  • Subtract: 10 - 5 = 5
  • Sarah improved by 5 balls!
Example 3: You scored 3 balls last week and 9 balls this week. How much did your score improve?
  • Old score: 3 balls
  • New score: 9 balls
  • Subtract: 9 - 3 = 6
  • Your score improved by 6 balls!

Try it as a mini adventure

Dodgeball Personal Best Challenge You are the captain of a dodgeball team and need to track everyone's progress. Here's your challenge:
  • Step 1: Write down your own old score and new score
  • Step 2: Subtract to find how much you improved
  • Step 3: Write down a friend's old and new score
  • Step 4: Subtract to find how much they improved
  • Step 5: Compare your improvements and see who improved the most
Mini Challenge: If you scored 7 balls last week and 11 balls this week, how much did you improve? Answer: 11 - 7 = 4 Mini Challenge: If your teammate scored 4 balls last week and 10 balls this week, how much did they improve? Answer: 10 - 4 = 6 Mini Challenge: If your coach scored 12 balls last week and 15 balls this week, how much did they improve? Answer: 15 - 12 = 3

Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Subtracting in the wrong order (old score - new score instead of new score - old score)
    Why it happens: Children may not understand that the result should show improvement, not decline.
    Fix: Always subtract the smaller number from the larger number to find the difference.
  • Mistake: Thinking that subtraction means you must lose points
    Why it happens: Confusing subtraction with negative outcomes.
    Fix: Remind children that subtraction can show growth, not just loss.
  • Mistake: Forgetting to write down the subtraction problem
    Why it happens: Children may rush or get excited about their progress.
    Fix: Always write the subtraction problem first, then solve it.

Parent and carer guide

To help your child with this dodgeball subtraction challenge, try these 5 simple steps:
  1. Ask about their games: "How many balls did you catch last time? How many this time?"
  2. Write it down: Help them write their old and new scores in a simple table
  3. Count together: If they're not sure, count on fingers or use small objects like counters or toys
  4. Check the answer: Ask them to add the difference back to the old score to see if they get the new score
  5. Encourage progress: Celebrate improvements, not just high scores
This is a fun way to see how much your child is growing in dodgeball. You don't need to be a maths expert - just help them think through the subtraction.

Practice questions

  1. Tom scored 6 balls last week and 10 balls this week. How much did he improve?
  2. Jessica scored 3 balls last week and 8 balls this week. How much did she improve?
  3. Ben scored 9 balls last week and 13 balls this week. How much did he improve?
  4. Lily scored 4 balls last week and 7 balls this week. How much did she improve?
  5. Sam scored 11 balls last week and 15 balls this week. How much did he improve?
Answers:
  1. 10 - 6 = 4
  2. 8 - 3 = 5
  3. 13 - 9 = 4
  4. 7 - 4 = 3
  5. 15 - 11 = 4

FAQ

What is a personal best in dodgeball?

A personal best is the highest score you've ever achieved in dodgeball. It's your own record that you try to beat every time you play.

Why do we use subtraction to find improvement?

Subtraction helps us find the difference between two numbers. When we subtract your old score from your new score, we see exactly how much better you did.

Can I use this subtraction method for other sports?

Yes! You can use subtraction to track your progress in any sport. For example, in football you can track how many goals you scored, or in swimming you can track how much faster you got.

What if I didn't improve?

If you didn't improve, that's okay! You can still use subtraction to find out how much your score changed. It might be zero if you scored the same number of balls, or even a negative number if you scored fewer balls.

How can I make this more fun?

You can make a chart to track your progress over time. You can also challenge friends to beat each other's scores and use subtraction to see who improved the most!