1st Grade Word Problems Worksheets

1st grade word problems are short addition and subtraction stories with numbers up to 20. Children learn that a story can join two groups, take some away, or compare two amounts, and that the same numbers can need a different operation depending on the question. These four mixed sheets cover every kind of story first graders meet.

What 1st graders learn about word problems

• Adding to and taking from: “7 birds were on a fence and 5 more came.”
• Putting together and taking apart: “A bag holds 15 marbles. 6 are red and the rest are blue.”
• Comparing: “Zara has 17 cards. Ben has 8 fewer.” These are often the hardest.
• Unknown in every place: some stories ask how many there were at the start, not how many at the end.
• Three numbers: adding three amounts with a total up to 20 (standard 1.OA.A.2).
• Coins and length: a dime and some pennies, or how much longer one ribbon is than another.

Why the sheets mix story types

First graders often choose the operation from one word: “more” means add, “left” means take away. That habit breaks on stories like “Zara has 17 cards. That is 8 more than Ben. How many cards does Ben have?”, where “more” needs subtraction. Each sheet puts joining, taking away, comparing and missing-start stories side by side, so children have to picture the story before they choose. The four sets (A to D) all have different stories, and page 2 of every sheet is the answer key. Press Generate your own for brand-new stories with the same mix; the maker remembers what you have already seen on this device.

A worked example

“Some birds were sitting in a tree. 7 more birds flew in. Now there are 16 birds. How many birds were in the tree at first?”

We know the end (16) and the change (7), but not the start. Draw 16 birds and cross out the 7 that flew in: 16 − 7 = 9. There were 9 birds at first. Check: 9 + 7 = 16.

Tips for teaching 1st grade word problems

• Read the story aloud and let your child act it out with toys or counters.
• Ask “is the answer going to be more or less than the first number?” before calculating.
• For extra picture support, start with the kindergarten picture word problems, and for more one-step stories try the addition and subtraction word problems.

Drawing the stories as pictures

A quick sketch shows which operation a story needs. These three drawings match the hardest story types: a missing start, a comparison and a part-part-whole story.

10 more 1st grade math word problems with answers

These problems use numbers up to 20 and include every type from the list above, including the two hardest: stories where the start is missing and “how many more” comparisons.

Read each problem aloud or let your child read it, then check the answer below it. To print the problems as a quiz, with or without the answers, use the print buttons on this page.

1. There are 8 red fish and 6 yellow fish in a tank. How many fish are in the tank?
   Answer: 14 fish (8 + 6 = 14)
2. Jada had 15 balloons. 7 balloons floated away. How many balloons does Jada have now?
   Answer: 8 balloons (15 − 7 = 8)
3. Omar has 12 toy cars. Eli has 5 toy cars. How many more cars does Omar have than Eli?
   Answer: 7 more cars (12 − 5 = 7)
4. Some ducks were in a pond. 4 more ducks came. Now there are 11 ducks. How many ducks were in the pond at first?
   Answer: 7 ducks (11 − 4 = 7, or 7 + 4 = 11)
5. Nina picked 9 flowers. She gave some to her mom and has 3 left. How many flowers did she give her mom?
   Answer: 6 flowers (9 − 3 = 6)
6. Max has 5 blue marbles, 4 red marbles and 6 green marbles. How many marbles does Max have?
   Answer: 15 marbles (5 + 4 + 6 = 15)
7. Lucy read 13 pages. Tom read 4 fewer pages than Lucy. How many pages did Tom read?
   Answer: 9 pages (13 − 4 = 9)
8. There are 20 children on a bus. 10 children get off at the first stop. How many children are still on the bus?
   Answer: 10 children (20 − 10 = 10)
9. A box has 16 crayons. 9 crayons are broken. How many crayons are not broken?
   Answer: 7 crayons (16 − 9 = 7)
10. Ava has 6 shells. She needs 14 shells for a craft. How many more shells does she need?
    Answer: 8 more shells (6 + 8 = 14)

Story types and the picture to draw

A quick drawing shows which operation the story needs. Circles or dots are enough; the drawing does not need to look like the real thing.

End-of-year checklist

By the end of the year, most first graders can do the following (from the Common Core grade 1 standards):

• Solve add and take-away stories within 20 with the missing number in any place (1.OA.A.1).
• Add three numbers with a total up to 20 (1.OA.A.2).
• Add and subtract within 10 fluently, and within 20 using strategies such as making 10 (1.OA.C.6).
• Say whether a number sentence is true, such as 7 = 8 − 1 (1.OA.D.7), and find the missing number in 8 + ? = 11 (1.OA.D.8).

Word problems for other grades

• Kindergarten word problems
• 2nd grade word problems
• 3rd grade word problems
• 4th grade word problems
• 5th grade word problems

Last updated: October 2026