Addition Word Problems Within 20 Worksheets for 1st Grade

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Grade 1MathAddition & SubtractionCCSS 1.OA.A.1

Skill: Solving add-to and put-together word problems with totals from 10 to 20

Preview of the Addition Word Problems Within 20 printable worksheet
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Teaching tips and what to try next

Meant for first graders who add within 20 and can read simple sentences, perhaps with an adult reading along. Stories with a missing part are the hard ones, so having your child act them out with a small toy for each item usually clears up what the question wants. For more mixed practice, try Subtraction Word Problems Within 20, and for three addends, see Word Problems With Three Numbers.

10 versions, each with its own answer key

Same skill and layout, a fresh set of problems in every version, so children can keep practicing without repeating a page. Problems are not repeated between versions unless a skill has only a small number of possible problems (for example, the addition facts within 10).

Download all 10 versions (one PDF)All 10 answer keys (PDF)

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About this worksheet

First graders are expected to solve story problems about adding to a group and putting two groups together, with the missing number in different places. Some stories ask for the total, some ask how many were added, and some ask how many there were at the start. This first-grade worksheet gives eight short addition stories with totals from 10 to 20.

The stories use everyday scenes: stickers, fish in a tank, birds on a fence, toy cars, marbles, kids at the park, books and a box of crayons. Four stories ask for the total. The other four give the total and one part, and children find the other part, which builds the link between addition and subtraction. Every part is from 2 to 12. Under each story is a box for a drawing or a number sentence and a line for the answer, which should include a word such as birds or books. Each of the ten versions has new numbers and names and its own answer key.

How to use it: read each story aloud the first time and ask your child to tell it back in their own words. Then ask what the story wants to find: the total, or a part that is missing. For stories where some were added, a quick drawing of the start, a box for the unknown, and the total helps. Counting on from the smaller number, or making a ten, is faster than counting all.

The answer key gives each answer with its unit. For stories about taking away, try our Subtraction Word Problems Within 20 worksheet. For stories with three numbers, try our Word Problems With Three Numbers worksheet.