Little Math Stories Addition and Subtraction Worksheet

Five-year-olds often understand counting better than they understand what a word problem is asking. This page keeps it small and friendly. It has three short math stories: 3 frogs by a pond with 2 more jumping over, 6 flowers in a vase with 3 taken out, and 8 apples in a basket with 1 added. After each story, the child answers how many there are now or how many are left.

This is a good fit when a kindergartener can count small groups and can follow a two-sentence story with help. If they rush or mix up the action, slow the page down. Read one story at a time, cover the others if needed, and ask whether the group got bigger or smaller.

The practice is simple: read the story, notice the action, count or model the objects, then give the answer. Frogs and apples practice adding more. Flowers practice taking away. For a similar next page with more small situations, use this addition and subtraction story worksheet after finishing this one.

Sit together with a pencil and a few small counters if that helps. Let the child move counters as frogs jump over, flowers come out, or apples go in, then say the number before writing it. When the stories feel easy, make ten with ten frames is a helpful next step because it builds the same counting-on habit with a clear visual structure.