How to Help With 3rd Grade Word Problems: A Parent's Guide
Want to help with 3rd grade word problems at home? Here is what your 3rd grader learns, what a typical question looks like, and simple ways to help, no lesson plan needed.
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Want to help with 3rd grade word problems at home? Here is what your 3rd grader learns, what a typical question looks like, and simple ways to help, no lesson plan needed.
Every example below comes from BAMS Academy's Word Problems practice, the same questions students answer on the site.
Word Problems in 3rd grade, skill by skill
Solving multi-step real-world math problems. BAMS Academy breaks the unit into the skills below (part of all 3rd grade math topics). Each comes with one of its practice questions.
Solve word problems involving elapsed time
Jordan starts a trip at 6:42 and the trip lasts 22 minutes, ending after the hour changes. What minute (0-59) does the trip end on?
Answer: 4. 42 + 22 = 64 minutes, which is 60 minutes past the hour plus 4, so the trip ends at minute 4 of the next hour.
Jordan starts a trip at 8:47 and the trip lasts 41 minutes, ending after the hour changes. What minute (0-59) does the trip end on?
Answer: 28. 47 + 41 = 88 minutes, which is 60 minutes past the hour plus 28, so the trip ends at minute 28 of the next hour.
Estimate a reasonable answer to a word problem using rounding
A school orders 41 boxes of baseball cards with 46 baseball cards in each box. Estimate the total by rounding each number to the nearest ten first, then multiplying. (Choices: 90; 1840; 2000; 1886.)
Answer: 2000. 41 rounds to 40, and 46 rounds to 50. 40 × 50 = 2000.
A school orders 36 boxes of books with 45 books in each box. Estimate the total by rounding each number to the nearest ten first, then multiplying. (Choices: 1620; 2000; 90; 1800.)
Answer: 2000. 36 rounds to 40, and 45 rounds to 50. 40 × 50 = 2000.
Solve multi-step real-world word problems
Priya started with 39 stickers. They bought 12 more, then gave away 6. How many stickers do they have now?
Answer: 45. Start with 39, add 12 bought, then subtract 6 given away: 39 + 12 − 6 = 45.
The store started with 17 baseball cards. They bought 12 more, then gave away 12. How many baseball cards do they have now?
Answer: 17. Start with 17, add 12 bought, then subtract 12 given away: 17 + 12 − 12 = 17.
What a 3rd grade question looks like
Example 1
Question: The class starts an activity at 2:15 and finishes at 2:29 (same hour). How many minutes did the activity take?
How to solve it: From 2:15 to 2:29 is 14 minutes.
Answer: 14
Example 2
Question: Maria starts an activity at 2:17 and finishes at 2:27 (same hour). How many minutes did the activity take?
How to solve it: From 2:17 to 2:27 is 10 minutes.
Answer: 10
Mix-ups to listen for
Question: A school orders 41 boxes of baseball cards with 46 baseball cards in each box. Estimate the total by rounding each number to the nearest ten first, then multiplying. (Choices: 90; 1840; 2000; 1886.)
Answer: 2000.
A student who picks "1886" usually multiplied the exact values instead of rounding first.
Question: A school orders 36 boxes of books with 45 books in each box. Estimate the total by rounding each number to the nearest ten first, then multiplying. (Choices: 1620; 2000; 90; 1800.)
Answer: 2000.
A student who picks "90" usually added the rounded numbers instead of multiplying.
How you can help at home
- Ask your child to say each step out loud before choosing an answer. Explaining a step is how a gap in understanding shows up.
- Check wrong answers against the explanation, then try a similar question right away while the idea is fresh.
- Keep sessions short and regular: a handful of math questions most days works better than one long session.
Keep practicing
The fastest way to build confidence is a few questions at a time, with feedback on each answer. Start with Word Problems practice for grade 3, where every question comes with a step-by-step explanation.
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