Math Worksheets With Carry Boxes
Free printable regrouping worksheets with small ruled boxes above each column for writing the carried or borrowed digit, with an answer key.
Every problem on this sheet carries or borrows, and each one has small ruled boxes above the columns for writing the carried digit. It is a scaffold: it gives a student a fixed place to record the regrouping step instead of squeezing a tiny 1 into the margin.
The scaffold is meant to be taken away. Once a student is recording carries reliably in the boxes, move to the plain regrouping page - a student who always has the boxes never practises doing it without them.
What this worksheet covers
- Add and subtract two-digit numbers that always regroup
- Write each carried or borrowed digit in its own box
Common Core standards
- 2.NBT.B.5 Fluently add and subtract within 100 using place-value strategies.
Frequently asked questions
What are carry boxes for?
Writing the digit you carry into the next column, or the 1 you borrow. A dedicated box keeps that step visible and in line, which is where a lot of regrouping mistakes come from.
Do all the problems regroup?
Yes - this page is set to Regrouping Only, so every problem carries or borrows. That is the point of practising with the boxes.
When should a student stop using them?
When the carries are landing in the right place on their own. The boxes are training wheels; leaving them on forever prevents the very thing they are meant to build.
Can I get carry boxes without forcing every problem to regroup?
Yes - on any addition or subtraction page, turn on Carry boxes under Layout help and set Regrouping to Both.