2nd Grade Word Problems: 10 Printable + Answers (PDF)

Examples from this activity, with answers

These questions come from the activity above. You can read them and work on paper before playing. Read the instruction and choices first, then look at the answer.

Léo has 12 fruits, he eats 5. 12 − 5 =
Choices : 6 / 7 / 8
Answer : 7
16 sweets shared into 4 equal packets. How many per packet? 16 ÷ 4 =
Choices : 3 / 4 / 5
Answer : 4
19 children are playing, 8 leave. How many remain? 19 − 8 =
Choices : 10 / 11 / 12
Answer : 11

Helping your child think it through

Ask your child to explain their choice. For a calculation, use objects, a drawing or a written operation; for a word, read the complete sentence again. If they are unsure, work through one question together before continuing. Stars show successful answers, not a school assessment.

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10 printable 2nd grade word problems, with answers

Ten problems that get gradually harder, starring Léo and friends. Your child reads the story, chooses the operation and writes the answer with its unit. The PDF has the problems with space to work, then a detailed answer key.

Léo has 24 bananas. He eats 6. How many bananas does he have left?
On the savanna there are 35 zebras and 27 gazelles. How many animals are there altogether?
Léo fills 4 baskets with 5 mangoes each. How many mangoes does he use?
18 monkeys split into 2 equal groups. How many monkeys are in each group?
Léo has $50 in his piggy bank. He buys a book for $12. How much money does he have left?
A tree has 45 leaves. The wind blows 20 of them off. How many leaves are left on the tree?
Léo walks 120 m in the morning and 80 m in the evening. How far did he walk that day?
In the garden there are 3 rows of 10 flowers. How many flowers are there?
Léo has 36 marbles. Mia has 14 fewer than he does. How many marbles does Mia have?
Léo has 40 stickers. He needs 100 to finish his album. How many more stickers does he need?

📥 Download the PDF: 10 problems + answers

Show the answers

24 − 6 = 18: He has 18 bananas left.
35 + 27 = 62: There are 62 animals.
4 × 5 = 20: He uses 20 mangoes.
18 ÷ 2 = 9 (because 2 × 9 = 18): There are 9 monkeys in each group.
50 − 12 = 38: He has $38 left.
45 − 20 = 25: 25 leaves are left.
120 + 80 = 200: He walked 200 m.
3 × 10 = 30: There are 30 flowers.
36 − 14 = 22: Mia has 22 marbles.
100 − 40 = 60: He needs 60 more stickers.

The 4-step method

Read the problem twice: once to understand the story, once to spot the numbers.
Find the question: underline it: are we looking for how many altogether, how many are left, how many each?
Choose the operation: by drawing the situation: circles for objects, an arrow for what comes or goes.
Calculate and check: then answer with a full sentence and the unit, for example: “There are 62 animals.”

What children practise at ages 7–8

At ages 7–8, numbers go up to 1,000. Addition and subtraction problems get trickier (comparing two amounts, finding what is missing), and multiplication arrives with equal-groups situations. Sharing into equal parts is first done with objects, before division.

Filoumi tipAsk your child to retell the story in their own words before calculating. If they can say what happens, they will find the operation.

Parents' questions

How can I help my child (CE1, ages 7–8) when they get stuck on a word problem?

Ask them to retell the story in their own words, then draw it (circles for objects, an arrow for what leaves). If they are still stuck, swap the numbers for smaller ones: the method becomes clear, and they just redo the calculation with the real numbers.

How many word problems should my child do each day?

One or two problems, about 10 minutes, are enough. Regular practice matters more than quantity: a few minutes every day beat an hour on Sunday.

How does my child know whether to add or subtract?

Ask whether the amount goes up (adding, putting together: addition) or down (taking away, losing: subtraction). Watch out for trick words: “fewer than” does not always mean subtraction. When in doubt, a drawing settles it.

Printable word problems for other ages

All CE1 exercises