Little Math Stories Addition and Subtraction Worksheet

First graders often know how to count, but story problems add one more step. They have to figure out what is happening before they can solve. This page uses three short math stories: apples in a basket, rabbits in a garden, and frogs by a pond. Each one gives a starting amount, a change, and a question to answer.

This is a good fit when a 6-year-old is ready to listen to or read a short problem and connect the action to an operation. The apple story asks for 3 plus 9, the rabbit story asks for 10 minus 6, and the frog story asks for 12 plus 4. If the numbers feel big, use fingers, counters, cereal pieces, or quick drawings beside the problem.

The practice is simple and concrete. Read one story at a time, then ask, “Did the group get bigger or smaller?” Words like “adds” and “more” point toward addition, while “takes away” and “hop away” point toward subtraction. After that, count on, count back, draw the objects, or write the number sentence together.

If your child stalls, cover the other problems and stay with just one story. Let them retell it in their own words before solving. For a next step, try make ten with ten frames to give counting-on a visual base, or use the make ten number bonds worksheet to practice seeing parts and totals before returning to more story problems.