Little Math Stories Addition and Subtraction Worksheet

Five-year-olds often know what “more” and “left” mean when they are playing, but written math stories can still make them pause. This printable gives them three short picture stories to read with you: apples in a basket, frogs by a pond, and flowers in a vase.

It fits a kindergartener who can count small groups and is starting to connect story words with number actions. The problems stay close to hands-on counting: five apples with one more added, six frogs with one jumping away, and five flowers with two more added.

Sit together and read each story slowly. Ask, “Did the group get bigger or smaller?” before naming addition or subtraction. Then let them point, count fingers, use counters, or make quick dots before saying or writing the answer.

After this page, keep the same cozy story style instead of jumping to bare number facts right away. Try a second Little Math Stories worksheet for more small-number story practice, or use the original Little Math Stories worksheet when you want another short page that keeps the focus on what changed in the story.