Addition Word Problems with 3 Numbers Worksheet

Adding three numbers is the moment a young child stops thinking of addition as two things joined together and starts thinking of it as a total. It is a real jump, and it goes much better when the numbers are still small and every group is right there to be counted. This Addition Word Problems with 3 Numbers Worksheet keeps the sums inside ten and draws every quantity in pictures, so a Kindergartner can read the story, count the groups, and see why the number sentence says what it says.

There are three short word problems. Each one is written in three easy sentences: a child has some flowers, or apples, or leaves, then gets some more, then gets more again. Under the words, the same three amounts appear as three separate groups of pictures, spaced apart so the groups are easy to tell from one another. Under the pictures sits the number sentence with the three numbers already written, and one box for the total. A child who is not yet adding in their head can count the pictures and still get the right answer, which is exactly how this skill starts. Use it as a first introduction, as a small-group lesson with counters on the table, or as a quick check before moving on to sums past ten.

What’s Included

• One printable worksheet page for Kindergarten, in color, ready to print
• Three word problems written in short Kindergarten sentences
• Picture groups for every amount, so each problem can be counted as well as added
• Three number sentences with three addends and sums within ten
• A full answer key on the final page, plus a Name and Date line

Three reasons this Addition Word Problems with 3 Numbers Worksheet helps kids learn to add three numbers. It keeps the reading load low so the math is the hard part, not the words: every sentence is four or five plain words. It shows the three addends as three separate groups of pictures, which is what makes three numbers feel different from two. And it gives one clear box for the total, so a child learns that a long number sentence still has a single answer.

Ideas for teachers and parents: put three small piles of counters, buttons, or cereal on the table and let a child push them together before writing anything. Say the total out loud as you go, ten, then count on. Ask a child to make up a fourth story of their own with three groups. Pair this kindergarten addition word problem worksheet with an addition song so the counting pattern is heard as well as written. For a small challenge, cover one group and ask how many are hidden.

Related Resources

• Addition Single Digit Word Problems Worksheet
• Addition Word Problems Worksheet
• Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Worksheet
• Adding 3 Song (MP3)