Math problem for first graders

Check Out These 50 First-Grade Math Word Problems of the Day

Opening your daily math lesson with a Math Word Problem of the Day is an excellent way to set the stage for learning. We all know that word problems are difficult for young learners to grasp, even when the mathematical operation portion of the problem is basic.

Incorporate these first grade math word problems one day at a time at the start of your math block to build confidence, critical thinking skills, and a learning community. Students will get used to reading slowly for meaning, while also identifying key information. Encourage students to write out equations and draw pictures to explain their thinking, since this helps them see the light when they are stuck!

Topics covered include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and comparison. All you need to do is post one of these first grade math word problems on your whiteboard or projector screen. Then let kids take it from there!

Want this entire set of word problems in one easy document? Get your free PowerPoint bundle by submitting your email here.

1. I had 6 pencils, and my teacher gave me 4 more. How many pencils do I have now?

2. Gina’s dog got 3 treats on Sunday and 0 treats on Monday. How many treats did Gina’s puppy get in all?

3. Joel went to the zoo with his family. During the first hour he was there he saw a bear, 2 tigers, and 3 lions. How many animals did Joel see in his first hour at the zoo?

4. Jackson sorted his toy cars by color. He has 6 blue cars, 5 green cars, and 4 black cars. How many cars does Jackson have in all?

5. Ben has 2 green balloons and 4 yellow balloons. How many balloons does he have altogether?

6. There are 3 kids in the Clark family. Tina is 3, Joshua is 4, and Samantha is 7. If you add up all their ages, what is the sum of the Clark kids?

7. If you go for a swim and 6 of your friends come along, how many friends are swimming in total?

8. Rachel’s mom had some flowers in a vase. 3 of the flowers wilted and Rachel’s mom took them out of the vase. Now there are 5 flowers in the vase. How many flowers were in the vase to start with?

9. Hayden’s cat had a litter of kittens. 3 kittens were gray, 2 kittens were spotted, and 7 kittens were black. How many kittens did Hayden’s cat have?

10. Pedro brought in 3 red leaves and 6 yellow leaves from the playground. How many leaves does he have in all?

11. Gabriella read 3 books on Monday, 6 books on Tuesday, and 4 books on Wednesday. How many books did Gabriella read in all?

12. If you have 3 cats, 2 guinea pigs, and a bunny. How many cute little noses do they have altogether?

13. If there are 3 inches of snow on the ground in the morning and we get 3 more inches of snow by dinner time. How many inches of snow did we get that day?

14. My cat has 4 paws and my brother’s dog has 4 paws. How many paws are there in all?

15. I had 10 pennies, but I lost 2 of them. How many pennies do I have now?

16. Santiago read 7 books over the summer. Ryan read 5 books. How many more books did Santiago read than Ryan?

17. Andrew put 10 stickers on his notebook. When he got to school he noticed some of the stickers had fallen off. Now Andrew only has 6 stickers on his notebook. How many stickers fell off Andrew’s notebook?

18. Nicole likes to help her mom pick tomatoes from their garden. She counted 9 tomatoes in the garden. 6 tomatoes were red and the rest were green. Nicole and her mom picked all the red tomatoes. How many green tomatoes did Nicole and her mom leave in the garden?

19. My sister and I have 20 pennies. If my sister has 10 pennies, how many pennies do I have?

20. The zoo had 8 tigers. 3 of the tigers moved to another zoo. How many tigers were left?

21. Esther read 3 poems. Magenna read some more poems. Altogether they read 7 poems. How many poems did Magenna read?

22. Haley’s dad bought 8 cheeseburgers. Haley ate 1 of them. How many cheeseburgers does Haley’s dad have left?

23. If you boil 7 eggs in water, and the number of eggs that float is one more than the number that sink, how many eggs float?

24. Rasheed loves to eat jellybeans. His favorite jellybeans are the yellow ones. There were 12 jellybeans in his bag. Rasheed removed all the yellow jellybeans and ate them, leaving 6 jellybeans in his bag. How many yellow jellybeans did Rasheed eat?

25. The gym teacher had 5 basketballs. The next week the gym teacher got some new basketballs. Now the gym teacher has 9 basketballs. How many new basketballs did the gym teacher get?

26. Jamal has 6 toy airplanes and his brother has 4 toy airplanes. How many more toy airplanes does Jamal have than his brother?

27. Antonio has some marbles. His brother Alex gives him 5 more. Now Antonio has 8 marbles. How many marbles did Antonio have to begin with?

28. If you have an 8-pack of crayons and you give your friend 3 of them to use during drawing time. How many crayons do you have in your pack now?

29. Emily has 4 pink erasers and some white erasers. She has 7 erasers in all. How many white erasers does Emily have?

30. Angel serves pizza at her birthday party. The pizza has 12 slices. 8 slices of pizza are eaten by Angel and her guests. How many slices of pizza are left?

31. If you have 9 toys on the floor and your little brother has 6 toys on the floor. How many more toys on the floor do you have?

32. There are 8 windows in the classroom. Some of the windows have decorations on them, 2 of them don’t have any directions. How many windows have decorations?

33. On Saturday, you brought home some fish from the pet store. If 15 of your 18 fish have stripes. How many of your fish are without strips?

34. 8 birds flew to the top of a fence. Some birds flew away and 6 birds stayed. How many birds flew away?

35. There were 6 books on Noah’s shelf. Olivia took some of the books. Now there are 2 books on the shelf. How many books did Olivia take?

36. Ethan has some folders in his backpack and 4 folders in his desk. He has 8 folders altogether. How many folders are in his backpack?

37. Liam has 8 t-shirts. 5 of them have superheroes on them, and the rest are solid colors. How many of Liam’s t-shirts are solid colors?

38. Mary was putting together a 20 piece puzzle. After she finished, she discovered that only 18 pieces were there. How many pieces were missing?

39. Nicholas has 7 cousins. Some of his cousins are girls and 3 of his cousins are boys. How many girl cousins does Nicholas have?

40. It snowed for 6 hours on Monday and 4 hours on Tuesday. How many more hours did it snow on Monday?

41. Charlie’s mom baked 12 chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Charlie ate 2 cookies and his mom and 1 cookie. How many chocolate cookies were left?

42. Melanie has 16 purple pens. Dante has 10 blue pens. Melanie has ____ more pens than Dante has.

43. Sofia has 75 pennies in her bank. How many more pennies will she need to have 100 pennies in her bank?

44. There were 9 cups of soda on the table. Some of the cups were knocked over, and 6 were still standing. How many cups of soda were knocked over?

45. Griffin has 20 board games. Some were under his bed, and 15 were in his closet. How many board games were under Griffin’s bed?

46. Antonio spotted 3 deer sitting at the top of a hill, but all he could see were their eyes. How many eyes did Antonio see in all?

47. Desmond saw 5 bunnies. He counted all of their ears. How many bunny ears did Desmond count?

48. Katie counted all of her toes, and then she counted all her mom’s toes. How many toes did Katie count altogether?

49. Which weighs more? A 15-pound red fox or a 24-pound wild turkey?

50. Which weighs more: a 150-pound white-tailed deer or a 110-pound kangaroo?

Enjoying these first grade math word problems? Check out our first grade hub for even more resources.

Get a PPT version of these word problems.

21 1st Grade Word Problems For Easy Math Skill Development

An important part of the curriculum, 1st grade word problems offer students an opportunity to apply the math concepts they have learned in class to everyday situations. 

Math class can be one of the most challenging subjects for children, so understanding and solving word problems about math in a practical way helps students practice math skills while applying different learning styles and understanding of math concepts in the real world. 

Table of Contents

• Do 1st Graders Do Word Problems?
• Best 1st Grade Word Problem Worksheets
• How Do You Teach First Grade Word Problems?
• About the Author

First grade students can do word problems by approaching them using what they already know: language skills like reading and listening, working together in teams, and manipulating objects to demonstrate and develop spatial sense. Word problems help students to understand the world around them, be able to solve real-world mathematical problems they can use in their everyday lives, and develop critical thinking skills, so it’s important to introduce word problems as early as 1st grade to help students think holistically about math.

In partnership with Teach Simple, whose marketplace is full of educational materials created by actual teachers (plus 50% of all revenues go to them), I have curated a list of 1st grade word problems on fantastic, interactive worksheets for teachers and parents to use to challenge students. They can be used in the classroom or at home. 

Children are often drawn to this kind of thinking, and there are lots of fun ways to make the experience playful and exciting for them. These worksheets and activities align with common core math standards for 1st grade, which include operations and algebraic thinking, numbers and operations, measurement and data, and geometry.  

These 5 sets of puzzles will help students add and subtract within word problems. Students solve the word puzzles and use their answers to figure out the code words. 

This bundle includes the secret code card, 8 word problems per set, response cards, and an answer key to check answers in 1 PDF file. 

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With this worksheet, students can read the word problem and choose the correct operation to solve it. Simple yet effective, this printable sheet includes pictures and is available in 1 PDF file.  

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This printable worksheet has students solve single-digit addition word problems using colorful images and relatable situations. 

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This resource is a math strategy cheat sheet that students can utilize when solving word problems. When working on a problem, students can pull out this resource guide and determine which strategy will help them most. It includes 1 PDF with 2 ready-to-print pages.

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This activity engages students by challenging them to solve word problems while learning all about the dentist! 

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These engaging math and literacy worksheet sets include word problems to be solved on a number line, as part-part-whole (number bonds), and in a drawing. This is an ebook download in PDF format.

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This activity engages students by asking them to solve word problems while learning about oceans. It contains 1 product file.  

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The stories and activities in this book help make math fun through interesting folktales, poems, and original stories. Students learn about logical thinking, problem solving, and various mathematical concepts, such as measurement, shapes, telling time, addition, fractions, and map reading.  

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When it’s cold outside, add some fun to your classroom with these engaging math problems. They have activities that can be used for morning work, homework, group work, or in learning centers. 

This product includes a word problem to be solved on a number line, as part-part-whole (number bonds), and in a drawing. 

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With this activity, students can practice word problems with cut-and-paste activities that provide hands-on practice for simple addition. Students read the problem, count out the amount they need, add them together, glue them onto their paper, then write their equation. 

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This workbook provides practice for place value, two-digit addition and subtraction, odd and even numbers, and addition and subtraction word problems. It includes a 21-page printable packet with activities.

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These worksheets contain a variety of math skills that align with the curriculum. Students will work on reading a schedule and a menu, solving word problems, adding and subtracting money, and working on elapsed time. 

It has a fun wintertime theme and two different levels of problems, a color version, a black-and-white version, and the answer key.

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This worksheet has add and subtract word problems ranging from 10 to 100.

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This printable bundle has four word problems worksheets on addition, four on subtraction, and two worksheets on mixed operations.

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This activity engages students by asking them to solve word problems while learning about barnyard animals.

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These materials are designed to be a follow-up activity after instruction on tens frame is presented. 

The word problems are presented on task cards. Students can answer the problems by using ten frames and apple-themed counters. Then, they can write their answers on a student recording sheet.

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These addition word problems include key words such as “in all,” “altogether,” “total number,” and “sum.” They have fun colorful pictures to make the problems interesting. These files are in a zipped folder with 8 sheets. 

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This is a set of 30 math worksheets for first grade. They give students structured practice in solving addition and subtraction word problems, which involves both math and reading comprehension.

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These task cards each have an addition word problem with answers within 20. There are 20 cards, recording sheet, and answer key included.

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Time Word Problems and Blank Clock Template

These printable worksheets are available in PDF format with 4 PDF worksheets with a blank template that includes analog clocks and empty boxes, to assist students practice giving varied times.
Word problems are included in two worksheets for extra practice. Given certain time constraints, students must solve the problem and indicate when the event began and when it ends.

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Multiplication for Primary Students

If you have any first graders that are ready to give multiplication a try, this resource contains 9 pages that will help your students understand multiplication.

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The goal with 1st grade word problems is for students to develop skills like abstract and quantitative reasoning, applying mathematical tools they have already learned, and making sense of real-world mathematical scenarios.  

When teaching word problems to 1st grade students, we want to make sure we explain the problems clearly, note when students struggle with language comprehension (such as new vocabulary), and are available to provide support by talking out the problems with students. 

Here are some great tips for teaching word problems:

Tip 1: Print them on good quality cardstock or laminate for durability and longevity

Tip 2: Print them on colored paper to engage students’

Tip 3: Remind students of different strategies they can use to solve word problems

Tip 4: Let students have access to the answer sheets once they have worked on the problem so they can self-correct

Tip 5: Have students work in groups, make the 1st grade word problems into a game, and get creative with your teaching style!

Jen Skolsky has a background in English, Psychology, and Creative Writing. She has taught for many years in international education, including ESL for all ages, middle school literature, speech and debate; high school AP Psychology, AP Language, AP Literature; university level Academic Writing, and Chinese Medicine Theory. She now works in marketing and book publishing.

tasks for counting and logic

Actual

Sending a child to the first grade, parents always dream that their child will study well and receive only the highest marks in all subjects. And if it is not at all difficult to teach a child to read, then it is not always easy for children to understand and solve mathematical problems. In order for a first-grader to succeed in mathematics at school, parents either hire a tutor, which is not always financially justified, or try to work with their children on their own. In this material, we will tell you how to pull up a first-grader in mathematics at home, talk about different types of problems and methods for solving them.

How to teach a child to count

Parents of first-graders should remember that at the age of 5–7 years, abstract thinking is still poorly developed in children. Remember the tale of Pinocchio, when he counted the apples that “Someone” allegedly took. Similarly, a 5–7-year-old child is not yet able to imagine the condition of the problem.

It is best to use visual aids that the child can see and touch. These can be counting sticks, cubes or pictures cut out of cardboard (for example, a set of cardboard hedgehogs, flowers, leaves, etc.). Lay out in front of the child the entire condition of the task from visual materials: there was so much, so much was added or taken away. So it will be easier for him to understand the condition of the problem and it will be easier to find its solution.

Another important point in teaching children is that the child must learn to distinguish tasks from each other by type. To do this, you can target it to some keywords. For example, if the task mentions the words "added", "brought", "arrived", "ran" and others denoting joining, then this is an addition problem.

Understanding what type a particular problem belongs to, the child will learn to determine the required solution algorithm and successfully cope with the task.

Addition problems for first graders

As already mentioned, addition problems have a common feature - attachment. Another sign of addition tasks is the phrase “how much” in the task question.

The child must learn to clearly understand that if there is something added to the condition, then he needs to add up the available numbers. The child must understand what the first term, the second term and the sum are, and be able to find them in the task condition.

In order for a child to master mental counting well, he needs to regularly engage in mental counting. If you are on vacation, at least once a day, ask him examples to develop memory. You can even study on the way to school or in the section.

Five to ten examples daily will not tire a first-grader too much, but will bring many benefits for his further studies.

Below are addition problems for first graders. For convenience, we have divided them into options, so that when studying at home, you can solve already completed tasks with your child.

Option 1

• Natasha read 5 books during the holidays, and Katya read 4 books. How many books did the children read together during the holidays?
• There were 6 apples on one branch of the apple tree, and 7 on the other. How many apples were there on both branches of the apple tree?
• There are potted flowers on the window in the classroom. The first window has 2 flowers, the second has 3 flowers, and the third has 1 flower. How many flowers are in the class?
• Alyosha's family has 2 boys and 1 girl. Tanya's family has 1 girl and 1 boy. Serezha has 2 boys in the family, and Katya has only 1 girl. How many girls live in the families of all children? And how many boys?
• According to the results of assessments for the 1st quarter in the 1-A class, 10 excellent students, 14 good students and 2 three students. In the 1-B grade - 8 excellent students, 12 good students and 3 three students. And in 1-B - 11 excellent students, 11 good students and 4 three students. How many excellent students, good students and three students in the entire parallel of the first classes?

Option 2

• Natasha is 8 years old, how old will she be in 3 years? In 4 years, in 10 years?
• In the stationery store, Nastya liked the felt-tip pens for 18 rubles. She has 10 rubles, 5 rubles, 2 rubles and 1 ruble. Will the girl have enough money to buy?
• 6 girls and 12 boys went for a walk. How many children went out for a walk?
• Sasha has a pack of counting sticks. Of these, 10 are red, 8 are blue and 12 are yellow. How many sticks are in the pack?
• 4 girlfriends and 5 friends came to Polina's birthday party. How many children will sit at the festive table? (here it is important that the child does not forget to count Polina herself, the answer in the problem is 10 children).
  

  Variant 3

• Children came to the park and saw birds swimming on the lake: 8 swans and 12 ducks. How many birds were swimming in the lake?
• Children were planting saplings at school. Petya planted 2 seedlings, Anton planted 3, Natasha and Katya planted 2 seedlings. How many seedlings did the children plant in total?
• There were sweets in a box on the table. Masha ate 5 candies, Alena - 3 candies, Nastya - 6 candies, and Kolya ate 6 candies and the box was empty. How many sweets were in the box from the very beginning?
• There are 20 postcards in Marina's collection. Yulia also has 20 postcards. How many postcards do girls have?
• Seva had 20 stamps, he was presented with 4 more stamps. How many stamps did Seva have in total?

Option 4

• Mom planted 20 cucumber bushes and 17 tomato bushes. How many plant bushes did mom plant in total? On Monday, 8 tables were brought to the canteen, on Tuesday - 7 tables, and on Thursday - 10 more. How many tables did the canteen receive in a week?
• Pasha and dad went camping. On the first day they walked 12 km. In the second - 10 km, in the third - 8, and in the fourth - 11. What path did dad and Pasha cover?
• The zoo has 12 monkeys, 8 tigers, 2 elephants, 6 bears and 4 raccoons. How many animals are in the zoo?

Important! If every day you solve one version of addition tasks with a child, then on the control tests he will show brilliant results.

• There are 13 boys and 12 girls in Grade 1-A. There are 12 boys and 15 girls in grade 1-B, and 10 boys and 12 girls in grade 1-C. How many boys and how many girls are there in all first grades?

Subtraction tasks for first graders

Subtraction tasks also have their own features and characteristics. In the condition, you can always find some of the characteristic phrases: “how much is left”, “there were so many, of them ...”, “there were so many, so many left / flew away / ran away / deteriorated, etc.” and others. Here it is also important to understand what the first term, the second term and the sum are, to be able to find them in the task condition, because subtraction problems are the inverse of addition. And the concepts here are slightly different: reduced, subtracted, difference.

Below are subtraction problems for first graders. For convenience, we also divided them into options so that when doing homework, children can solve already completed tasks.

Here there are tasks both for finding the remainder (“how much is left”) and for decreasing (“by how much the number has changed”).

Option 1

• Andrei lives on the 7th floor, and Alena 3 floors below. What floor does Alena live on?
• Volodya has 17 cars, but Sasha has none. Volodya gave Sasha 8 cars. How much does he have left?
• Natasha is 12 years old, and her brother Seryozha is 7 years younger. How old is Seryozha?
• There were 10 apple trees in the garden, and 4 less pear trees. How many pears grew in the garden?
• On the first day Mila read 24 pages in the book, and on the second day she read 3 less. How many pages did Mila read on the second day?

Option 2

• Children receive books in the school library. Petya took 8 books, Alyosha took 2 books less than Petya, and Vanya took 3 books more than Alyosha. How many books did each boy take? How many books did they take together?
• There were 25 berries in a vase on the table. Marina ate 4 berries, Alice ate 6 berries, Mila ate 3 berries, and Katya finished the rest of the berries. How many berries did Marina and Alice eat? Mila and Katya How many berries did Katya eat?
• There were 10 plates on the table and 6 less in the sink. How many dishes were in the sink?
• Serezha is 15 years old, his sister Larisa is 4 years younger. And the youngest brother Boris is 7 years younger than Larisa. How old are Larisa and Boris?
• Mom planted 30 cucumber bushes, 17 bushes sprouted. How many cucumber bushes were lost in total?

Option 3

• The children went to the forest for mushrooms. Dima found 10 russula and 7 white mushrooms. Tanya found 3 less russula and 2 less white ones. How many and what kind of mushrooms did Tanya find?
• The first house has 12 entrances, the second house has 4 entrances less than the first one. And in the third house there are 6 entrances less than in the first. How many entrances are in each of the houses?
• There are 23 apples in the first basket, and 11 less apples in the second. How many apples are in both baskets?
• 12 girls participated in the performance, and 3 less boys. How many boys were in the play?
• There are 15 roses in one vase and 8 less in another. How many roses are in the second vase?

• Sweets cost 30 rubles, and bread is 15 rubles cheaper. How much does bread cost?
• Grandmother baked pies. With potatoes 30 pieces, with jam 10 less than with potatoes, and with cabbage 5 less than with potatoes. How many and what kind of pies did grandma bake?
• There were 20 men on the bus. There were 5 fewer women than men, and 7 fewer children than women. How many people were on the bus in total?
• Children receive books in the school library. Sasha took 5 books, Misha took 2 books less than Sasha, and Serezha took 2 books more than Misha. How many books did each boy take? How many books did they take together?
• 20 buckets of water were used to water the garden. 12 buckets went to the beds with cabbage. How much went to the beds with carrots?

Comparison tasks for first graders

• Comparison tasks are aimed at finding some number, less or more than the original. In principle, to some extent they can be attributed to addition or subtraction tasks, so we decided not to describe these tasks by options, but to give several similar examples:
• There were 10 cats on the roof: 7 black and 3 grey. How many more black cats than gray ones?
• In the village, my grandmother has chickens and ducks. There are 18 chickens and 15 ducks. How many more chickens than ducks.
• Tanya has 3 dolls, and Dina has 4 more. How many dolls does Dina have? How many dolls does Tanya have less?
• Marina is 14 and Misha is 9. How many years is Marina older than Misha?
• There are 8 cars in the garage. Of these, 3 trucks and 5 cars. How many fewer trucks than cars?
• Dima was presented with gifts for his birthday. First, mom and dad gave 2 gifts, then friends brought 5 gifts. How many more gifts did Dima have?
• On the first day of vacation, Yura solved 5 problems, on the second - 7, and on the third - 2. How many more problems did Yura solve on the second day?
• How many tasks less than the first did Yura solve on the third day? And how many fewer problems did he solve on the third day than on the second?

• Sonya had 3 oranges and 10 apples. How many more apples than oranges?

• Olya has 3 hares and 2 squirrels. Mila has 5 dolls and 1 bear. Who has more toys and by how many?

• Cows were grazing in the meadow. 7 goats came to them and in total there were 15 animals in the meadow. How many cows were there?

  Logic tasks for first graders

  Articles with recommendations from teachers and lists of exercises and tasks have already been devoted to the development of logical thinking. Here we present several logical tasks that will allow not only to develop, but also to train the logic of first graders.

• Which is easier? A kilogram of cotton wool or a kilogram of nails? Tea, compote and cocoa were poured into a glass, mug and cup. There is no cocoa in the mug. There is no cocoa in the cup, and no compote. What was poured into what?
• How many fingers are on 3 hands?
• How many paws do 4 cats have?
• How many hands do 10 children have?
• Lena and Misha saw 2 ships in the sea. How many ships did each of the children see?
• Kitten tails sticking out from under the bed. How many kittens are there if 7 tails are visible?
• Dogs hid behind the fence. You can see 12 paws from under the fence, how many dogs are behind the fence?
• There are 5 peaches and 8 pears on the table. How many apples and plums will there be in total?
• There are 2 glasses of milk on the table. Petya drank the milk and put the camp on the table. How many glasses are on the table?
• Vanya left the school. 3 girls walked towards him. How many children left school?
• Seven first graders went from home to school: Petya, Masha, Liza, Grisha, Tolya, Misha and Larisa, and 4 second graders: Seryozha, Tanya, Mila and Vanya. How many girls went to school?
• To get into the theater 2 daughters and 2 mothers needed 3 tickets. How could this happen?
• Misha is 2 years older than Lena. How much older will he be than Len in 5 years?
• Lena and Milana planted 10 flowers each and finished the work at the same time. Milana started work earlier. Which of the girls worked slower?

  Instead of conclusion

  Mathematical development of first-graders is of great importance in their education. By solving examples and problems, the child acquires new experience, knowledge and skills. Learns to think logically and mathematically, find solutions from various situations, more successfully master related sciences in further studies.

  Children's progress should not be left to chance, and one should strive in every possible way to help them in this difficult matter, like studying in the first grade. After all, it was at this time that the foundation was laid for his further studies at school.

  Mathematics 1st grade. Video

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