Addition word problems – sums up to 10

key notes :

➕ Addition means putting together!

When we add, we join two groups to find the total. 🐶 Example: 3 dogs 🐕 + 2 dogs 🐕 = 5 dogs 🐶

🎯 Look for clue words in word problems:

add, plus, total, altogether, in all, sum, join, together
🧠 Example: “Ravi has 4 apples 🍎 and gets 3 more 🍎. How many apples does he have in all?”

🔢 Use numbers up to 10 only!

➜ The biggest answer (sum) you will get is 10.
🧩 Example: 6 + 4 = 10

🖐️ Use fingers, pictures, or objects to count!

🖐️ Count on fingers
🍭 Use candies or blocks
✏️ Draw circles or dots Example: 5 + 3 → draw 5 🍎 and 3 🍎 → count all → 8 🍎

😃 Addition sentence helps you write the problem:

Word Problem → Number Sentence → Answer
✨ Example:
“There are 2 cats 🐱 and 5 kittens 🐈. How many in all?”
➜ 2 + 5 = 7 🐾

💡 Order doesn’t matter in addition!

4 + 3 = 3 + 4 = 7 🎉

🏁 Check your work!

Count again to make sure your total is right ✅

🎨 Fun Tip:

Use colorful counters, stickers, or number lines 🎨 to make addition exciting! 🌟

💖 Example Word Problems:

  • 🍎 You have 3 apples and get 2 more. How many apples do you have?
    👉 3 + 2 = 5
  • 🏀 There are 4 balls and 5 more are added. How many balls in all?
    👉 4 + 5 = 9
  • 🐠 There are 6 fish and 3 new fish join them. How many fish altogether?
    👉 6 + 3 = 9

Learn with an example

🔭 One afternoon, Matt caught 1 tadpole in a pond and took it home. That left 2 tadpoles in the pond. How many tadpoles were in the pond before?

  • 5
  • 3
  • 2
  • 4
  • Add the numbers of tadpoles.
  • Add:

1 + 2 ____

  • You can count up to add. It is easier to start with the larger number. Start from 2 and count up 1:

2 , 3

1 + 2 = 3

  • The sum is 3. There were 3 tadpoles in the pond before.

🔭 One afternoon, Frank caught 1 tadpole in a pond and took it home. That left 1 tadpole in the pond. How many tadpoles were in the pond before?

  • 5
  • 2
  • 4
  • 3
  • Add the numbers of tadpoles.
  • Add:

1+1____

  • You can count up to add. Start from 1 and count up 1:

1, 2

1+1=2

  • The sum is 2. There were 2 tadpoles in the pond before.

🔭 Jon only feeds his dog two kinds of treats. Last year, Jon fed his dog 1 peanut butter treat and 3 carrot treats. How many treats did Jon feed his dog last year?

  • 4
  • 5
  • 3
  • 2
  • Add the number of peanut butter and carrot treats.
  • Add:

1+3____

  • You can count up to add. It is easier to start with the larger number. Start from 3 and count up 1:

3 , 4

1 + 3 = 4

  • The sum is 4. Jon fed his dog 4 treats.

Let’s practice!