Smart Starters · Ages 8 to 10
Distance Speed Time Word Problems
Solve basic distance, speed and time word problems. A Grade 5 worksheet with five levels and 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 Distance Speed Time Word Problems
Distance Speed Time Word Problems introduces Grade 5 learners to one of the most useful real-world applications of multiplication and division: the relationship between distance, speed and time. Each problem describes a journey — a train travelling at a steady speed for a number of hours, or a cyclist covering a distance at a known speed — and asks the child to work out the missing quantity. Understanding that distance equals speed multiplied by time, and rearranging that relationship to find speed or time, is an important step in Grade 5 problem solving across the US, UK, Canada and Australia, and it connects mathematics to journeys children can picture. Word problems add the essential skill of reading a situation and choosing the right operation. The numbers are kept friendly so the focus stays on the relationship, with generous working space. The five levels grow the numbers gradually so the reading stays accessible while the maths stretches. Each page prints cleanly on a standard A4 sheet, and every level downloads with its own answer key. There is no advertising, no sign-up and no data leaves the device. Use it to apply multiplication in context or alongside our problem-solving games.
Common questions
- What relationship does this use?
- Distance equals speed multiplied by time, and its rearrangements.
- What grade is this for?
- Grade 5 learners aged 9 to 10.
- Is an answer key included?
- Yes, every level has its own complete answer key.
A hand for grown-ups
- Before you start
- Find a calm few minutes with no rush. Let your child know it is fine to find some of it tricky — that is what practice is for.
- While they work
- Sit nearby but let them lead. If they get stuck, ask "what could you try?" rather than giving the answer — the thinking is the point.
- Afterwards
- Ask them to show you one they found easy and one they found hard. Praise the effort on the hard one, not just the right answers.
- Watch out for
- Rushing. If answers come too fast and wrong, slow the pace down together rather than pushing for more.
- Away from the screen
- Look for the same maths in everyday life — counting stairs, sharing snacks, spotting shapes on a walk.
Where to go next
Chosen by the skills this activity practises.