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Handball Maths

Handball 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 out how much you’ve improved in handball by comparing your old scores with your new scores.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to find out how much you’ve improved at handball by subtracting your old score from your new score. Success signs:
  • You can subtract two numbers to find the difference
  • You can compare your old and new scores
  • You can explain how much you’ve improved
  • You can use subtraction to solve a real handball problem

Why this matters

Subtraction helps you find out how much you’ve improved at anything you do. When you play handball, you can use subtraction to see how many goals you’ve scored more than before. This is a useful skill for all sports, and it helps you track your progress. It also helps you plan how to get better next time.

How it works

To find your personal best improvement in handball, you need to:
  1. Write down your old score
  2. Write down your new score
  3. Subtract your old score from your new score
  4. Read the answer to see how much you’ve improved

Examples you can see

Let’s say you scored 5 goals in your first handball game. Then, in your next game, you scored 8 goals. To find out how much you’ve improved, you subtract your old score from your new score. Example:
  • Old score: 5 goals
  • New score: 8 goals
  • Improvement: 8 - 5 = 3 goals
So, you’ve improved by 3 goals. Here’s another example:
  • Old score: 3 goals
  • New score: 7 goals
  • Improvement: 7 - 3 = 4 goals
You’ve improved by 4 goals.

Try it as a mini adventure

Imagine you are a handball star! You’ve been keeping track of your goals in each game. Here’s your challenge: Adventure: Handball Personal Best Challenge You are playing handball and want to see how much you’ve improved. You have these scores:
  • Game 1: 4 goals
  • Game 2: 6 goals
  • Game 3: 9 goals
  • Game 4: 11 goals
Now, you need to find out how much you’ve improved from each game to the next. Step-by-step challenge:
  1. Game 1 to Game 2: 6 - 4 = ? goals
  2. Game 2 to Game 3: 9 - 6 = ? goals
  3. Game 3 to Game 4: 11 - 9 = ? goals
Can you solve the subtraction for each game? Answer:
  1. Game 1 to Game 2: 6 - 4 = 2 goals
  2. Game 2 to Game 3: 9 - 6 = 3 goals
  3. Game 3 to Game 4: 11 - 9 = 2 goals
You’ve improved by 2, 3, and 2 goals each time!

Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Subtracting the new score from the old score instead of the other way around.
    Why it happens: It’s easy to mix up the order of subtraction.
    Fix: Always subtract the smaller number from the bigger number to find the improvement.
  • Mistake: Forgetting to write down your scores.
    Why it happens: It’s easy to forget to write down what you’ve scored.
    Fix: Keep a score sheet or write down your scores before you subtract them.
  • Mistake: Not checking your subtraction.
    Why it happens: Sometimes, when we subtract, we make a mistake.
    Fix: Double-check your subtraction by adding the difference back to the old score to see if you get the new score.

Parent and carer guide

You can help your child by:
  • Playing a game with them where they track their own scores
  • Encouraging them to write down their scores before subtracting
  • Checking their subtraction by adding the difference back to the old score
  • Asking them to explain how much they’ve improved in their sport
  • Using real-life situations to practice subtraction, like counting how many more cookies they have now than before
What to say:
  • “Let’s write down your scores and see how much you’ve improved!”
  • “You can subtract to find out how much you’ve grown!”
  • “What do you think your personal best is?”
What not to worry about:
  • It’s okay if they make a mistake at first – that’s how we learn!
  • Don’t pressure them to get the right answer quickly – let them think
  • They don’t need to know all the rules – just practice!

Practice questions

  1. Old score: 3 goals. New score: 7 goals. How much have you improved?
  2. Old score: 5 goals. New score: 10 goals. How much have you improved?
  3. Old score: 2 goals. New score: 6 goals. How much have you improved?
  4. Old score: 8 goals. New score: 12 goals. How much have you improved?
  5. Old score: 1 goal. New score: 5 goals. How much have you improved?
Answers:
  1. 7 - 3 = 4 goals
  2. 10 - 5 = 5 goals
  3. 6 - 2 = 4 goals
  4. 12 - 8 = 4 goals
  5. 5 - 1 = 4 goals

FAQ

What is a personal best?

A personal best is your highest score or best performance in a sport or activity.

Why do we use subtraction to find improvement?

Subtraction helps us find the difference between two numbers, so we can see how much we’ve improved.

Can I use this with other sports?

Yes! You can use subtraction to track your progress in football, basketball, swimming, or any other sport.

How can I make this more fun?

You can make a chart or a graph to show your scores and improvements over time.

What if I don’t improve?

That’s okay! Improvement isn’t always a big jump. Even a small improvement is a win.