First Grade Math Story Problems
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Story Problem Fun!

Acting out story problems is a great way to practice different solution strategies. These first grade math story problems are even more fun when you allow students to use gummy bears or teddy-shaped graham crackers to do so! Looking for additional ways to motivate your students? Try using their names in the problems.

Sample Problems

1. Susie has 7 teddy bears. She gave 2 bears to her friend, Tom. How many teddy bears does she have left? (subtraction)

2. Kevin has 5 teddy bears. His sister gave him another six. How many teddy bears does he have now? (addition)

3. Mary has 4 teddy bears. How many more bears will she need to have a bear collection totaling 15? (addition, change unknown)

4. Jane has a collection of 25 teddy bears. She lost some of her bears. Now she has 8 bears in her collection. How many bears did Jane lose? (subtraction, change unknown)

5. Wanda has 28 teddy bears. 17 have red bows and the rest have blue bows. How many have blue bows? (comparison)

6. Tim has 6 teddy bears. Mary has 13 teddy bears. How many more bears does Mary have than Ted? (comparison)

7. Becky has 7 bears. Her mom gave her 17 more. How many does Becky have now? (addition)

8. Bill had some teddy bears. He lost his 2 favorite bears. Now he has 8 bears. How many bears did Bill have to start with? (subtraction, start unknown)

9. Susie has 30 big bears, and 9 small bears. How many bears does she have all together? (addition)

10. Sean has 27 teddy bears. 4 are on his bookshelf and the rest are on his bed. How many bears are on his bed? (subtraction)

11. Allen has a Winnie-the-Pooh bear, a Paddington Bear and the “Three Bears” - Mama, Papa and Baby Bear. How many bears does he have in his collection? (addition)

12. Beth has 12 teddy bears. Beth shares her bears equally with her 2 best friends. How many bears does each girl get to play with? (division)

13. Riley has 13 bears. Each bear has 2 shoes. How many shoes are there all together? (multiplication)

Try sending these first grade math story problems home with your students for additional practice. Or, for added classroom fun, try pairing students for some collaborative work. This will give the children the opportunity to expand their knowledge of solution strategies which can be used for solving other math problems. In no time, you will have a classroom full of math wizards!

To learn more about different types of math story problems and how they can be used in the classroom, check out these articles:

Need problems which are a little more difficult? Continue reading at Bright Hub for Second Grade word problems.