Word Problem Strategies for Kids

Many children who are good at sums freeze when the same math appears in a word problem. Reading, understanding the situation and choosing the right operation all add extra challenge. A clear, step-by-step strategy and lots of practice can make word problems much less scary. Here's how.

Why word problems are hard

Children need to:

• Read and understand the words.
• Picture the situation.
• Decide which operation to use.
• Ignore extra information.
• Solve and check their answer.

That's a lot! Breaking it into steps helps.

A simple five-step strategy

1. Read the problem twice. The first time to understand the story, the second time to find the important information.
2. Find the question. What exactly are we trying to find out? Underline it.
3. Picture it. Draw a picture, use objects, or act it out.
4. Choose and solve. Decide whether to add, subtract, multiply or divide, then solve.
5. Check. Does the answer make sense? Did you answer the question? Include units (apples, cm, dollars).

Some teachers use acronyms like RUCSAC (Read, Understand, Choose, Solve, Answer, Check) or CUBES (Circle numbers, Underline the question, Box key words, Evaluate, Solve and check).

Drawing helps

Encourage children to draw:

• Simple pictures: circles for apples, sticks for people.
• Bar models: draw bars to show parts and wholes. For example, a bar split into two parts for "There are 12 children. 5 are girls. How many are boys?"
• Number lines: for counting on and back.
• Arrays: rows and columns for multiplication.

Key words (with a caution)

Some words often hint at operations:

• Addition: altogether, in total, sum, more than, combined
• Subtraction: left, difference, fewer, how many more, take away
• Multiplication: each, groups of, times, every
• Division: shared, split, each gets, equally

Caution: key words aren't always reliable. "Tom has 5 more stickers than Mia. Tom has 12. How many does Mia have?" uses "more," but you subtract. Always think about the story, not just the words.

Types of problems

• Join: "3 birds were in a tree. 2 more came. How many now?"
• Separate: "8 cookies. Ate 3. How many left?"
• Compare: "Sam has 9 cars. Ben has 5. How many more does Sam have?"
• Part-whole: "12 children: 7 boys. How many girls?"
• Equal groups: "4 bags with 5 apples each. How many apples?"
• Sharing: "20 sweets shared between 4 friends. How many each?"
• Multi-step: problems with two or more steps.

Practice ideas

1. Act it out with toys.
2. Write your own word problems for family members to solve.
3. Real-life problems: shopping, cooking and sharing snacks.
4. Picture problems for younger children, where pictures replace most words.
5. Number stories: give a sum (like 5 + 3) and ask children to tell a story that matches it.
6. One problem a day as a warm-up.

Our addition worksheets, subtraction worksheets and money worksheets include word problems at different levels.

Supporting struggling readers

• Read the problem aloud.
• Use simpler numbers first to focus on understanding.
• Use pictures and objects.
• Practise vocabulary like "altogether" and "difference."

See reading comprehension strategies.

Ideas by age

Ages 5–6: acted-out stories with objects, and picture problems.

Ages 6–7: one-step addition and subtraction problems with drawings.

Ages 7–9: compare problems, multiplication and division, bar models.

Ages 9–11: multi-step problems, fractions, measurement and money.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Relying only on key words. Teach children to understand the story.
• Skipping the check. Ask "Does that make sense?"
• Too many hard numbers. Use easy numbers while learning the strategy.

Frequently asked questions

How do I help my child with word problems?

Teach a step-by-step strategy, encourage drawing and practise with real-life situations.

What is a bar model?

A drawing of bars to show the parts and the whole in a problem. It helps children see which operation to use.

Why does my child find word problems so hard?

Word problems combine reading, understanding and math. Breaking them into steps helps.

Practice problems to try

Ages 5–6: "There are 4 ducks in the pond. 3 more ducks come. How many ducks now?"

Ages 6–7: "Mia had 15 stickers. She gave 6 to her friend. How many does she have left?"

Ages 7–8: "There are 5 boxes with 4 pencils in each. How many pencils altogether?"

Ages 8–9: "24 children go on a trip. Each car holds 5 children. How many cars are needed?" (Careful: 5 cars, because 4 cars would leave 4 children behind!)

Ages 9–11: "A book costs $7.50 and a pen costs $1.25. How much change from $10 if you buy both?"

Encourage children to draw each problem before solving it.

How do I help with multi-step problems?

Break them into parts. Solve the first step, write the answer, then use it for the next step.

Should children always draw a picture?

It helps a lot, especially while learning. Older children may use bar models.