Little Math Stories Addition and Subtraction Worksheet

First graders can know how to count and still stall when a short story asks, “Do I add or subtract?” This page gives three little math stories: apples with 3 in a basket and 8 more added, frogs with 17 by a pond and 14 jumping away, and rabbits with 12 in a garden and 6 more hopping in. Kids read each story, notice what changed, and answer how many there are now or how many are left.

This is a good fit for a 6-year-old who is working on addition and subtraction within first-grade numbers. If the reading feels like a lot, read the story aloud while your child follows along. The math work is still theirs: listening for more, takes away, jump away, now, and left, then deciding which operation matches the action.

Sit together and take one story at a time. Ask, “What number do we start with?” then, “Did the group get bigger or smaller?” For the apple story, your child can start with 3 and count on 8 more. For the frog story, they can begin with 17 and take away 14 using counters, fingers, or quick pencil marks. For the rabbit story, they can combine 12 and 6, then write the answer clearly.

When this page is done, choose the next step based on what felt tricky. If the story format helped, try another short word-problem round with the Little Math Stories Addition and Subtraction Worksheet. If adding on is the part that needs more hands-on support, the Make Ten Addition Ten Frames Worksheet gives a visual way to build numbers before returning to mixed stories.