Little Math Stories Addition and Subtraction Worksheet

Kids can stall when a math problem looks like a line of numbers, especially at age five. This page gives them three short math stories instead: 1 frog and 7 more frogs, 8 flowers with 7 taken out, and 5 rabbits with 2 more rabbits hopping in. Read each story together, look at the picture, and ask the question at the end before writing or saying the answer.

This is a good fit when a kindergartner can count small groups and is beginning to connect story words with math actions. “More” points toward addition, and “takes out” or “jump away” points toward subtraction. If that still feels new, start with one problem only. Let your child use fingers, small counters, or quick marks on scrap paper to act out what happens.

The practice is simple and concrete. In the frog story, children count a starting group, add the frogs that jump over, and find how many there are now. In the flower story, they begin with 8, take away 7, and notice how many are left. In the rabbit story, they add 2 to 5. For more support with seeing parts and totals, try the make ten ten frames worksheet, since ten frames help children organize counts instead of guessing.

Sit beside your child and talk through one story at a time. You might say, “Show me the first amount,” then “What changed?” and finally “How many now?” If they answer too fast, ask them to prove it with a count. When this page feels comfortable, the Little Math Stories addition and subtraction worksheet gives more practice with the same read, act, count, and answer routine.