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Skateboarding Maths

Skateboarding 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 skateboarding personal best has improved by comparing your old score to your new score.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to find how much your skateboarding personal best has improved by using subtraction to compare your old and new scores. Success signs:
  • You can subtract two numbers to find the difference
  • You can compare two skateboarding scores to see how much better you are now
  • You can use subtraction to solve a real-world problem
  • You can explain how subtraction helps track progress

Why this matters

Subtraction helps us understand how much we’ve improved in skateboarding or any other activity. When you do better than before, subtraction tells you exactly how much better you are. This is useful for setting goals, seeing progress, and celebrating wins. Whether you’re learning to ollie, kickflip, or just ride smoother, subtraction helps you see how far you’ve come.

How it works

To find how much your skateboarding personal best has improved, you:
  1. Write down your old score
  2. Write down your new score
  3. Subtract the old score from the new score
  4. Read the answer to see how much you improved

Examples you can see

Let’s say you used to do 3 kickflips in a row, but now you can do 7 kickflips in a row. How much did you improve?
  • Old score: 3 kickflips
  • New score: 7 kickflips
  • Subtract: 7 – 3 = 4
  • You improved by 4 kickflips!
Here’s another example: You once did 2 grinds, but now you can do 6 grinds. What is the difference?
  • Old score: 2 grinds
  • New score: 6 grinds
  • Subtract: 6 – 2 = 4
  • You improved by 4 grinds!
Try this with your own skateboarding scores or any other activity you’ve improved at. You can even draw pictures or use blocks to help.

Try it as a mini adventure

Skateboard Score Tracker Adventure You are a skateboard champion who wants to track your progress. You have a notebook where you write down your best tricks every week. Here’s your challenge:
  • Week 1: You did 5 kickflips
  • Week 2: You did 8 kickflips
  • Week 3: You did 10 kickflips
  • Week 4: You did 12 kickflips
Now, you want to know how much you improved each week. Let’s solve this step by step:
  • Week 1 to Week 2: 8 – 5 = 3
  • Week 2 to Week 3: 10 – 8 = 2
  • Week 3 to Week 4: 12 – 10 = 2
You improved by 3 kickflips in the first week, and then by 2 kickflips in the next two weeks. This shows you're getting better, but not always at the same pace. That’s okay! Try this with your own trick scores or even with your reading or maths scores. You can use a chart or draw a line graph to see your progress over time.

Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Subtracting the new score from the old score instead of the other way around.
    Why it happens: Children might not understand that “improvement” means going from a lower number to a higher number.
    Fix: Always subtract the smaller number from the larger number to find the difference.
  • Mistake: Forgetting to write the minus sign or using the wrong operation.
    Why it happens: Kids may rush or get confused between addition and subtraction.
    Fix: Double-check that you’re using subtraction and not addition.
  • Mistake: Thinking that if you go from 5 to 10, you’ve improved by 10.
    Why it happens: Confusion between “how many more” and “how much better”.
    Fix: Remember: 10 – 5 = 5, so you improved by 5.

Parent and carer guide

As a parent or carer, you can help by:
  • Encouraging your child to write down their personal best scores in skateboarding or any other activity
  • Helping them subtract to find how much they’ve improved
  • Using real examples like trick scores or even reading or maths scores
  • Creating a chart or graph to track progress over time
  • Noticing when they get excited about improvement – this shows they understand the maths!
You can also ask questions like:
  • How much better are you now compared to before?
  • Can you show me how you did the subtraction?
  • What trick did you improve the most on?
Don’t worry if they make mistakes – that’s part of learning. Use the mistakes as a chance to practice together.

Practice questions

  1. You used to do 4 kickflips. Now you can do 9. How much did you improve?
  2. Before, you did 2 grinds. Now you do 6. How much did you improve?
  3. You used to land 3 backflips. Now you can do 7. How much did you improve?
  4. Previously, you did 1 ollie. Now you can do 5. How much did you improve?
  5. You used to land 2 kickflips. Now you can do 6. How much did you improve?
Answers:
  1. 9 – 4 = 5
  2. 6 – 2 = 4
  3. 7 – 3 = 4
  4. 5 – 1 = 4
  5. 6 – 2 = 4

FAQ

How can subtraction help with skateboarding?

Subtraction helps you see exactly how much better you are now compared to before. It shows your progress clearly.

What if I don’t get better at first?

That’s okay! Sometimes it takes time to get better. Subtraction helps you see even small improvements over time.

Can I use this with other sports or activities?

Yes! You can use subtraction to track progress in any activity – reading, math, running, swimming, or music.

How do I keep track of my scores?

You can use a notebook, a chart, or even a simple list on your phone or tablet to write down your old and new scores.

Is subtraction always the right way to measure improvement?

Yes, for comparing two numbers, subtraction is the best way to see the difference or how much you’ve improved.