Little Math Stories Addition and Subtraction Worksheet

Story problems can feel tricky because kids have to hold the story and the numbers in their heads at the same time. This page keeps it small and concrete with three little math stories: frogs by a pond, apples in a basket, and flowers in a vase. Children read each short 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 in kindergarten who is ready to count small groups and talk about adding more or taking some away. One story has 3 frogs and 1 more frog, one has 8 apples with 4 taken away, and one has 1 flower with 4 more flowers added. If the jump from words to numbers is still bumpy, keep the focus on the action first: more means the group grows, and taken away means the group gets smaller.

Work side by side and read one problem at a time. Ask, “What happened in the story?” before asking for the answer. Then have your child point to the picture, count, use fingers, or draw quick marks to solve. For extra support with totals to ten, the Make Ten Ten Frames Worksheet gives a simple visual way to see groups and missing amounts.

After finishing, invite your child to retell one story using small toys, snack pieces, or pencil dots. That helps the math stay connected to real action instead of guessing. When this feels comfortable, try another short story page like the Little Math Stories Addition and Subtraction Worksheet to keep practicing when to add and when to subtract.