Create printable addition and subtraction word problem worksheets for elementary students. Choose the problem types, number range, regrouping option, and number of problems, then generate a ready-to-print PDF.
Addition and subtraction word problems are easier to teach when students learn the structure of the problem, not just a keyword trick. These categories are based on common elementary addition and subtraction situation types. Students benefit from learning to model the relationship between the quantities using drawings, number bonds, or tape diagrams before choosing an operation.
Help your students build their math skills and learn to solve word problems using tape diagrams with my Tape Diagram Anchor Charts.
These are basic addition word problems. Students are given two parts or an amount that increases, then they add to find the total. For example: The parking lot has 30 cars and 25 trucks. How many vehicles are there in total? Students can model both parts, then add to find the whole.
These are basic subtraction word problems. Students start with a total, some amount is removed, and they find what remains. For example: There were 23 cupcakes at a birthday party. 9 cupcakes were eaten. How many cupcakes are left?
Part unknown problems give students the total and one known part. Students subtract to find the missing part. For example: A farm has 96 animals. 63 of them are cows, and the others are sheep. How many sheep are on the farm? These are often harder than take away problems because nothing is physically removed.
Comparison problems can be difficult because students must compare two quantities instead of simply joining or removing objects. In difference unknown problems, students are given both quantities and find how much more or less one group has. For example: A garden has 83 tulips and 33 daffodils. How many more tulips are there than daffodils?
In these comparison problems, students are given the larger amount and the difference, then subtract to find the smaller amount. For example: A camel can drink 98 liters of water. A horse can drink 30 liters fewer than a camel. How many liters can the horse drink?
These are the inverse of smaller part unknown problems. Students are given the smaller amount and the difference, then add to find the larger amount. For example: A kid's toolbox has 13 tools. An adult's toolbox has 44 more tools than the kid's toolbox. How many tools does the adult's toolbox have?
My suggestions below are based on the Common Core Learning Standards and the way these skills commonly develop in elementary classrooms. Many state standards follow a similar pattern, but you should choose the problem types that match your students' needs.
This guide from Achieve the Core is also helpful when thinking about the kinds of word problems students are expected to master.
Kindergarten students are learning about operations and word problems for the first time. I recommend total unknown / add to and take away problems within 10. Students should have access to manipulatives or drawings, and they can begin writing equations to represent their thinking.
First grade students work on all types of addition and subtraction word problems within 20. They are usually comfortable with add to and take away problems, but often need explicit modeling support for part unknown and comparison problems.
Second grade students work on addition and subtraction word problems within 100. They may still need practice with comparison problems, and word problems are a useful way to apply place value and regrouping once students have enough fluency.
Third grade students can review all one-step addition and subtraction word problem types within 1,000. Even though third grade shifts toward multiplication, division, and multi-step problems, targeted review of tricky comparison structures can still be helpful.
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Hi! My name is Miss Becca, and I am an elementary school teacher in New York. Over the course of my teaching career, I have taught every grade from kindergarten through fifth grade. I am certified in both special and general education, and I built this site to make free, printable math worksheets that fit real elementary classrooms.
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