Solving Word Problems with Addition & Subtraction - 2nd Grade Math

Section 1

Where Do Word Problems Come From?

People have been solving word problems for a very, very long time! Even before calculators or computers, people used math to count animals, share food, and build things. Let's look at how word problems have been part of life for thousands of years.

Long, Long Ago

Farmers in ancient Egypt counted their sheep every day. If a farmer had 30 sheep and 12 more were born, the farmer had to add to find the new total!

Hundreds of Years Ago

Shopkeepers needed math to run their stores. If they had 50 apples and sold 23, they subtracted to find out how many were left.

Today!

You use word problems every single day. When you count your toys, share snacks with friends, or save up coins, you are doing math — just like people have done for thousands of years!

The big idea is this: word problems are just real-life stories that have a math question hiding inside. Your job is to find the question, pick the right tool (addition or subtraction), and solve it!

Section 2

The Big Ideas

Before we start solving problems, let's learn the four main types of stories you will see. Each type tells you whether to add or subtract.

Adding To 🍎➕

You start with some. Then you get more. You add to find the new total. Example: You have 14 stickers and get 9 more.

Taking From 🍪➖

You start with some. Then some go away. You subtract to find what's left. Example: You have 25 grapes and eat 8.

Putting Together ➕

You have two groups. You want to know how many there are all together. You add the groups. Example: 13 red crayons and 11 blue crayons.

Comparing ↔️

You look at two amounts and ask, "How many more?" or "How many fewer?" You subtract to find the difference.

✦

Key Takeaway

Think of word problems like little movies in your head. 🎬 If the movie shows things coming together, you add. If the movie shows things going away, you subtract. Close your eyes, picture the story, and the answer will come!

Section 3

Picture It!

Drawing a picture can help you understand a word problem. Let's look at a big, colorful picture that shows how adding to and taking from work.

Diagram showing adding to (top) and taking from (bottom) with groups of circles

Look at the picture above! The top half shows adding to. We start with 23 blue dots and add 15 green dots. Count them all up and you get 38! The bottom half shows taking from. We start with 40 blue dots, take away 17 red ones, and 23 are left. Drawing dots or circles is a great way to see what's happening in a problem!

Section 4

How to Solve Word Problems

Here are the three magic steps you can use every time you see a word problem. Follow these steps and you'll do great!

Step 1 — Read and Imagine

Read the story. Close your eyes. What do you see?

Ask yourself: Are things coming together or going away?

Step 2 — Write a Number Sentence

___ + ___ = ___ or ___ - ___ = ___

Put the numbers from the story into one of these. The blank is what you need to find!

Step 3 — Solve and Check

Do the math. Then check: does your answer make sense?

If you subtracted, your answer should be smaller. If you added, it should be bigger!

These three steps work for one-step problems (one add or subtract) and two-step problems (you need to add or subtract two times to find the final answer).

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Key Takeaway

Solving a word problem is like following a recipe. 🧁 First you read what ingredients you need (the numbers). Then you follow the directions (add or subtract). Finally you taste it to make sure it's right (check your answer). One step at a time!

Section 5

The Four Types of Word Problems

Let's look at each type more closely. This table will help you know what to do when you read different kinds of stories.

Type	What Happens	Clue Words	What to Do
Adding To	You start with some, then get more	more, joined, came, added, gave	Add ➕
Taking From	You start with some, then some leave	left, ate, lost, gave away, flew away	Subtract ➖
Putting Together	Two groups come together	in all, altogether, total, both	Add ➕
Comparing	You find the difference between two amounts	more than, fewer than, how many more, difference	Subtract ➖

Which Operation Should I Use?

Flowchart helping students decide whether to add or subtract

Use this flowchart every time! Read the story, decide if things are coming together or going apart, then pick the right operation. If the problem has two parts, do it again for the second part!

Section 6

Worked Example — A Two-Step Problem

Let's solve a two-step word problem together, step by step. Read carefully!

📚 Mia's Markers — A Two-Step Problem

1
The Problem

"Mia had 36 markers. Her friend gave her 28 more markers. Then Mia gave 15 markers to her brother. How many markers does Mia have now?"
2
Step 1 — Read and Picture It

Mia starts with markers. She gets more (things are coming together). Then she gives some away (things are going apart). This is a two-step problem because two things happen!
3
Step 2 — Solve the First Part (Adding To)

Mia starts with 36 markers and gets 28 more. Things are coming together, so we add.

36 + 28 = 64. Now Mia has 64 markers.
4
Step 3 — Solve the Second Part (Taking From)

Mia gives 15 markers to her brother. Things are going away, so we subtract.

64 − 15 = 49. Now Mia has 49 markers.
5
Step 4 — Check!

Does our answer make sense? Mia started with 36, got more (went up to 64), then gave some away (went back down to 49). Yes! 49 is between 36 and 64, so that makes sense. ✅

Answer: Mia has 49 markers.

Section 7

Tips, Tricks, and Things to Watch Out For

Here are some helpful hints and some tricky things to be careful about.

✅ Helpful Tips	⚠️ Watch Out!
Underline the numbers in the story.	Don't just grab numbers and add them! Read the whole story first.
Circle the clue words (more, left, in all).	Sometimes "more" means subtract! "How many more does Sam have?" means compare, so you subtract.
Draw a picture if you get stuck.	Don't forget: in two-step problems, use your first answer as the starting number for step two.
Check: is your answer bigger or smaller than what you started with?	Make sure your answer is not bigger than 100. We are working within 100!

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Key Takeaway

Think of clue words like a treasure map. 🗺️ They tell you which direction to go — toward addition or toward subtraction. But always read the whole map (the whole problem) before you start walking!

Section 8

What Comes Next?

You're building something really important right now! The skills you learn solving word problems with numbers up to 100 will help you do even bigger things soon.

What You Do Now	What You'll Do Next
Add and subtract within 100	Add and subtract within 1,000 and beyond!
One-step and two-step problems	Three-step and multi-step problems
Addition and subtraction only	Multiplication and division word problems too!
Whole numbers only	Problems with money, time, and measurements

Every time you solve a word problem, your brain gets a little stronger. 💪 The more you practice now, the easier bigger problems will be later. You're doing amazing work!

Section 9

Practice Problems

Try these five problems. Read each story carefully, decide if you should add or subtract, then solve. Click "Show Answer" to check your work!

Question 1: Problem 1 — What Should You Do?

Sam has 42 toy cars. He gets 16 more for his birthday. Should Sam add or subtract to find how many he has now?

Show answer

Add! Sam is getting more toy cars. Things are coming together, so you add. The number sentence would be 42 + 16 = 58. Sam has 58 toy cars. Great job if you said add! 🎉

Question 2: Problem 2 — One-Step Problem

There are 73 books on a shelf. A librarian takes away 27 books. How many books are left on the shelf?

Show answer

Books are being taken away, so we subtract. 73 − 27 = 46. There are 46 books left on the shelf. Since we subtracted, our answer (46) is less than what we started with (73). That makes sense! ✅

Question 3: Problem 3 — Putting Together

In a garden, there are 34 red flowers and 29 yellow flowers. How many flowers are in the garden altogether?

Show answer

We have two groups and we need the total. That's putting together, so we add! 34 + 29 = 63. There are 63 flowers altogether in the garden. The word "altogether" was a great clue word! 🌻

Question 4: Problem 4 — Two-Step Problem

Emma baked 48 cookies. She gave 19 cookies to her neighbors. Then she baked 25 more cookies. How many cookies does Emma have now?

Show answer

This is a two-step problem! Step 1: Emma starts with 48 and gives away 19. That's taking from, so subtract. 48 − 19 = 29. Step 2: Then she bakes 25 more. That's adding to! 29 + 25 = 54. Emma has 54 cookies. We used our answer from Step 1 (29) as the starting number for Step 2. Nice work if you got this one! 🍪

Question 5: Problem 5 — Think About It

Liam collected 55 seashells. Zoe collected 38 seashells. First, find how many more seashells Liam has than Zoe. Then, if Zoe finds 20 more seashells, how many does Zoe have in all?

Show answer

This problem asks two different questions! Part 1 — Comparing: "How many more" means we subtract the smaller from the bigger. 55 − 38 = 17. Liam has 17 more seashells than Zoe. Part 2 — Adding To: Zoe started with 38 and finds 20 more. 38 + 20 = 58. Zoe now has 58 seashells. This was a tricky one because it had both comparing AND adding to. You're a word problem superstar if you got both parts! 🌟

Summary

Let's Review!

Summary

You've learned how to solve word problems using addition and subtraction with numbers up to 100. There are four main types of problems: adding to (you start with some and get more), taking from (you start with some and lose some), putting together (you combine two groups), and comparing (you find the difference between two amounts). For adding to and putting together, you add. For taking from and comparing, you subtract.

Remember the three magic steps: read and picture the story, write a number sentence, and solve and check your answer. For two-step problems, just do the steps twice! Look for clue words like "more," "left," "altogether," and "how many fewer" to help you choose the right operation. You are ready to take on any word problem! 🎉