Little Learners · Ages 5 to 7
Add or Subtract Word Problems
Choose the operation from the wording. Five levels with answer keys.
The learning journey
Every activity is one step. Here is where this one fits.
- PlayLearn the idea in a game
- Practise(you are here)Lock it in on paper
- ReviewCome back and keep it sharp
- MasterTake on a harder challenge
- AchieveEarn a certificate
About Add or Subtract Word Problems
By this age most children can add and subtract accurately; what they cannot reliably do is tell which one a problem is asking for. Word problems are where arithmetic meets reading, and the deciding information is always in the language rather than the numbers — "altogether" points one way, "how many more" points the other, and nothing about the digits themselves distinguishes them. This worksheet is built so that the wording is the only clue. Both kinds of problem use the same two quantities in the same order, so a child who has learned to guess from the shape of the numbers gets no help at all. Everything else is kept deliberately plain: familiar objects, two people, one step, no distracting extra information, because the skill being practised is the decision and anything else would obscure whether that decision was made correctly. Number sizes grow across the levels while the reading stays consistent. Six problems per page with ruled working space beneath each. Each level prints as a clean A4 sheet in black and white and downloads with its own separate answer key. Its on-screen twin is Word Problem Clue Hunt, which asks the same question — which number sentence does this need?
Common questions
- What skill is being practised?
- Deciding which operation the wording asks for — not the arithmetic, which most children of this age can already do.
- Can a child guess from the numbers?
- No. Both kinds of problem use the same quantities in the same order, so only the language distinguishes them.
- Why are the problems so plain?
- Extra detail would obscure whether the decision was made correctly, which is the only thing being tested.
- Is there room to show working?
- Yes. Ruled working space sits beneath every question.
A hand for grown-ups
- Before you start
- Have something countable nearby. Being able to check "3 and 2 really is 5" by counting builds trust in the maths.
- While they work
- If a sum is hard, suggest counting on from the bigger number rather than counting both from one. It is a real strategy, not a crutch.
- Afterwards
- Try one together out loud, talking through how you worked it out. Hearing an adult think aloud is genuinely useful.
- Watch out for
- Counting both numbers from one every time. Nudge gently towards "start at the bigger one and count on".
- Away from the screen
- Add up small shopping items, or dots on two dice. Board games with dice are addition practice in disguise.
Where to go next
Chosen by the skills this activity practises.