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Math word problems worksheets

Ten problems in plain language, mixing all four operations so the child has to choose.

Grade 2Grade 3

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About math word problems

Word problems are where maths meets reading, and they are the point at which many confident calculators come unstuck. The difficulty is almost never the arithmetic. It is working out which operation the sentence is asking for.

These pages deliberately mix addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. A page of problems that are all secretly multiplication teaches a child to stop reading.

What actually helps

  • Read it twice before touching a pencil. Once for the story, once for the numbers.
  • Ask 'will the answer be bigger or smaller than what we started with?' before calculating.
  • Have them write the number sentence first, then solve it.

Common questions

Why does my child struggle with word problems but not with sums?

Because word problems test comprehension and operation choice on top of arithmetic. If reading is still effortful, that load lands on the maths.

How do you teach a child to choose the right operation?

Ask what is happening in the story — combining, removing, sharing, repeating — before looking at the numbers. Keyword-hunting ('altogether means add') fails as soon as problems get harder.

Math word problems worksheets from Pencil Pocket — free printable practice for Grade 2 and Grade 3

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