Little Math Stories Addition and Subtraction Worksheet

Little math stories are sweet, but they can slow kids down when they have to decide what the numbers mean. This printable keeps the work small and clear with three story problems: 3 apples plus 2 more, 6 frogs with 1 jumping away, and 1 flower plus 4 more. The goal is to read the little scene, notice what changes, and answer how many there are now or how many are left.

This is a good fit when a child can count small groups up to 6 and is beginning to connect story words with addition and subtraction. If counting groups still feels wobbly, you can warm up with this comparing object groups worksheet because it lets kids look closely at amounts before they have to solve a story.

Work through one story at a time. Read the first sentence together, pause to show the starting number with fingers or small counters, then read what Sam or Mia does next. For the apple and flower stories, add more and count the total. For the frog story, take one away and count what is left. Saying the action out loud helps the child connect the words “adds,” “puts in,” and “jumps away” with the math.

If a child guesses, slow it down and make the story hands-on. Draw quick dots, use buttons, or tap each picture while counting. After this page, a helpful next step is more practice with looking at two quantities side by side, such as this comparing object groups worksheet, since comparing amounts supports the same careful counting used in early story problems.