Looking for a 3 digit addition problem worksheets to practice 3 digit addition or subtraction with your students? Look no more because I got you covered.
Helping students work on word problems is a daunting task.
Especially if you are trying to encourage them to think independently on math problems and solve them on their own.
That is why I have created these fun and engaging 3 digit word problem worksheets that are free for you to grab and teach now.
Print the problems you want your students to work on and hand them to your class. Students can solve the word problems independently, or you can help them complete the task.
What I like to do in my class is put them in pairs. This way, even if one of the kids gets stuck, they can help each other out and figure out the solution.
Here are a few benefits of using 3-digit word problems worksheets in your classroom
Increase in reasoning and problem solving skills
More understanding of the topic by using comprehension skills
Able to break down more significant concepts into small problems
Struggling to teach the area of composite figures in a way your students actually get?
Ever wondered that every time you feel like thinking about how to get started or how even to think about introducing the topic to your kids, frustration kicks in!
Believe it or not, we all have been there during our first few years of teaching.
And you’re not alone… If your kids are zoning out the second you say “area” keep reading, this post breaks it down with easy, engaging ideas that make sense (and work for all levels).
Explore the Area of complex figures in an exciting way
Let’s be real right now teaching math isn’t what it used to be. Today’s kids are growing up with TikTok-level attention spans and infinite entertainment options at their fingertips.
That means if your area of complex shapes lessons are not engaging and exciting enough, you’ve already lost half the battle.
Here’s the good news, you don’t need flashy tech or hours of prep work just to make the area of composite figures click for your students. You just need the right strategy.
So how do you teach this topic in a way that’s fun, clear, and actually sticks?
The answer: make it visual, hands-on, and connected to real life, yup, that’s right this way your students aren’t just memorizing formulas, they’re solving problems like mini math detectives on a mission hunt.
Now the question is where do you begin?
Start with the Basics:
Like I said, it all starts with basics.
And to be honest, there is no other answer to this problem other than nailing the basics!
Here is the hard truth… if kids find the lesson interesting, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated to learn about the problem, think about it, practice it, and ultimately feel a sense of confidence in their skills.
Here are the steps to help kids see math everywhere in their life.
Step 1: Help Students See Math Everywhere (Real-Life Hook)
One of the most effective ways to introduce composite figures is by showing students where these shapes exist in their world.
What it means is to check for there: Activate prior knowledge. Ask your students:
What basic shapes do you already know?
Can you think of any objects that are made up of more than one shape?
Then guide them to see that a playground, a building (maybe school) floor plan, or even a weird-shaped pizza is made of multiple simple shapes.
🟩 + 🟥 + 🟦 = Composite figure.
Your goal here is to help them realize that composite shapes are just familiar shapes combined, nothing fancy.
Step 2: Revisit the Basics with Hands-On Practice
Before diving into composite figures, make sure your students are rock solid on calculating the area of:
Squares
Rectangles
Triangles
Here is a Pro Tip: Use graph paper and have them COUNT squares to confirm what the formulas actually do. This helps your visual and tactile learners “see” the math in action.
Step 3: Decompose a Composite Figure (using engaging activities)
Once the basics are solid, it’s time for the real fun, breaking down a complex shape into smaller, manageable parts.
Here is an activity you can try in your class:
Show them a real-life layout — like a house blueprint or the shape of a playground.
Ask them to identify the basic shapes they see.
Have them outline or color-code each individual shape inside the figure.
Guide them through finding the area of each part — and then adding it all together.
Finding the Area of Composite Figures or Complex Figures (Color by Number)
Since kids have already mastered how to calculate the area of regular shapes, it’s time to introduce them to composite figures.
You can use any composite shape, like a park or a house layout, and ask what they see.
Tell them to imagine the shape as a whole building made by several small ones and treat every small shape like a rectangle, square, or triangle as a room inside the building.
Let them think about this concept for a while, and then decompose the shape into its parts and find the area of the individual basic shape.
Finding Area of Complex Figures Piece by Piece
Next, it’s time to decompose composite figures like literally breaking the big shape into smaller, familiar parts.
For better understanding, it’s good to introduce a composite figure with 2 or 3 squares or rectangles and then move on to the more complex figures.
The next step is to ask your kids how many squares or rectangles they see inside their big figures.
Have them trace or outline each individual shape in a different color and then calculate the area of each smaller part one shape at a time.
Pro Tip: Write the area inside each shape as they go to help them see their progress. Next step is to calculate the areas of these individual shapes.
Since your students by now already know how to calculate the area of regular figures, it would not be a daunting task. Lastly, ask them to add all of them together to get the total area.
Finding the Area of Complex Figures (Trending and Most Popular)
Now comes the fun part: tell your kids that we are calculating the area of the whole building, not just the single rooms inside.
They also know how to calculate it by adding the areas of each smaller shape. Basically, by summing up, kids will be able to tell what the area of the complex figure is.
Want some fun digital and printable activities to help you with this lesson?
Raise your hand if you’ve ever printed a math worksheet, handed it out and watched your entire class immediately ZONE OUT.
Same. Dry, black and white worksheets suck the energy right out of math time for your students and for you.
They’re boring. They don’t work. And worst of all? They make these core basic operations reviews feel like a chore.
But here’s the thing, addition and subtraction practice doesn’t have to be dull.
When you mix in color by number printables or activities with riddles to review, your kids are engaged, your classroom is calm, and your math centers become something everyone actually looks forward to.
I’m breaking down the multi-digit addition and subtraction practice worksheets I’ll use this year, because they work and they save my sanity.
Strategy 1: Use Multi-digit Addition and Subtraction Escape Room to Make Practice Fun
What would life be like if you didn’t have to convince kids that the more they practice, the better it is for them?
What better way to practice than to disguise it as a riddle and increase their curiosity along with math skills? These are just a few of the reasons why math riddles are magic, I use during review time.
My students get self motivated to solve them, and that’s not just to get the math right but to solve the riddle. That little “aha” moment at the end makes the work feel like a game to them, not a worksheet.
The best part? Riddle worksheets are also self-checking. If the answer doesn’t make sense? It means it’s time to double-check their math without you having to hover or correct them. The reason why it’s a total win for me.
Escape Room-style riddles are also perfect for independent work, partner pairs, or small groups.
You’ll love the classroom management piece (hello, quiet engagement), and your students will love cracking the code.
Still not sure? Try what I use and see your kids filled with excitement: Multi-Digit Addition and Subtraction with Regrouping Escape Room.
You know those kids who can’t sit still for more than five minutes? Yeah, even they get into color by number math. The visuals pull them in, and the structure keeps them focused. It’s like sneaking in math fluency practice… with crayons.
To be honest color by number is a game-changer for independent work, early finishers, math centers, basically anytime you need your students to be engaged without needing your constant attention.
And unlike flashcards, these worksheets build fact fluency in a low-stress, low-prep way that students actually enjoy.
My students actually ask for these during math review. Yep. It’s that fun.
Strategy 3: Mix Seasonal + Skill-Based Review
Want to keep review fresh without re-inventing the wheel every week?
Seasonal printables are your best bet. You’re still hitting the same addition and subtraction skills, just dressed up for fall, Halloween, winter, or whatever season you’re in.
Students stay engaged because it feels new even though the practice is familiar. Teachers win because it’s low-prep and high-impact.
It’s perfect for early finishers, homework, and sub plans basically anytime you need a minute to breathe.
What would life be like if you didn’t have to reinvent the wheels?
If you want your students engaged, confident, and actually enjoying math this year, start with tools that make them smile and think. Riddles, color by number, seasonal printables, they’re more than just fun. They’re effective.
You don’t need to reinvent math review. You just need the right tools in your teacher box.
You not only have to explain the basics but also make sure your fractions lessons are engaging enough so they pay full attention during the learning period and do not get distracted.
In this blog post, I will discuss with you some new and easy ways I have found helpful in teaching fraction operations to my kids during math class to help them engage with the problems at hand and be happily willing to practice adding and subtracting fractions.
So, let’s dive in…
1. Fun Fractions Maze Activity with Task Cards – Save the Queen
This activity includes a printable self-checking maze that you can use with your kids to have them practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division of fractions with unlike denominators.
Each fraction operations maze activity comes with 12 task cards and a self-checking FUN maze, which keeps kids inspired to learn, but you do not have to spend all day grading.
The activity is story-based, in which your kids become detectives, helping the Queen bee, who is lost in the jungle, return home. For that, your kids have to work through the problems to bring her back home.
Once the kids have completed the activity, you can use the printable reward card to reward your kid’s hard work and create a positive motivation for them to practice their math skills happily the next time!
Are your kids bored with their daily boring math routine work and want to have some fun and excitement while learning new concepts?
Try adding Solve the Room activities to help them get moving and learn all at the same time!
Solve the Room is my kid’s favorite activity as it allows them not to be glued to their desks but to move around the room while working on the problems. The best part is that it is very easy to set up.
All you have to do is print the question cards and place them in different spots inside your classroom. Next, give students their recording sheets. Kids move around the room, looking for problems with adding and subtracting fractions.
They solve the problems and record their answers on the recording sheets provided. You can also instruct them to use the back of the recording sheet to show their work, which is always a good idea.
If you want to try these activities for your next class, Click here.
3. Color by Number Fractions Activities
Coloring is LOVE for all my kids – no matter their age.
Primary, lower elementary, or upper elementary, you name it!
The easiest way teachers can use it to their advantage is by making any doodle on a piece of paper along with a bunch of practice problems and giving them to solve and color.
Using color by number activities in elementary math classes can enhance engagement, reinforce concepts like perimeter and area of complex figures and volume of rectangular prism creatively, and facilitate differentiation for diverse learning levels.
These activities make working on math problems more enjoyable for students and provide valuable tools for teachers to effectively deal with the challenges of teaching elementary mathematics.
Looking to add some fun color by number activities to your next lesson? I have created these 5th grade fraction operations color by number activities that you can use to skyrocket your class math learning outcome. Want some fraction word problem worksheets? Click HERE to check them out.
Kids in upper elementary classrooms are more inclined to learn math through games because math games provide the same environment as today’s gadgets and screens but with the goal of learning something new.
This is why, in today’s teaching, it is more important than ever to use game-based learning methods in our math classrooms.
In my 10+ years of teaching math to elementary students, I have never encountered a time in my classes when, whenever I pull up a game, my kids do not get excited.
It has always been the case for me, no matter what the type of game is! It can be digital as well as printable but what would never happen with board games or game shows is a dry class with no learning excitement for a hard subject like math.
Honestly, I feel that having printable games or digital game-based activities should be in every teacher’s toolkit. They are a compelling way for kids to connect and engage with your teaching content. Still not convinced?
Here’s a list of why math games are important and how to integrate them into your lesson planning.
1. Enhanced Engagement during Math Class
This is what we all want? I mean, I do! And the best way to increase your class engagement is by using math games to make learning more interactive and exciting.
Gamification helps develop critical thinking skills, which are essential for children’s future success. Students are more likely to participate and stay focused when they play a game in pairs, compared to just working through a set of problems on a worksheet.
So, make your kids work in pairs next time you want them to add some accountability to your math lessons. The added accountability helps them push each other and encourages a sense of responsibility.
Looking for some fun games? Melissa, a fellow teacher, coach, and TpT author, has a blog post that can give you a comprehensive idea of the benefits of using math board games in classrooms.
2. Improved Understanding with Math Games
Understanding is the most important part of the learning process. It is the integral part that should be focused on during lesson planning.
If your kids can understand the basics of any concept, like fraction operations or the order of operations, they will be able to think through them, understand them, and solve problems on their own, which should always be the goal.
This collaborative environment that is created as a result of their teamwork can help them feel more comfortable sharing their thought processes and strategies with their class fellows.
With games, we can present kids with the same math problems in various formats like multiple choice, true-false, or even open-ended, which then helps students to see concepts from different angles.
This is crucial as it deepens their understanding and helps them apply math skills in various real world situations.
During my lessons I try to give kids as many practice problems as possible, but after we have
ended a lesson I prefer other formats like multiple choice or true false using interactive activities or riddles to check their understanding and see where the gaps are!
3. Immediate Feedback
Of course, getting feedback is important! But what’s more important is making it fun not just for kids but for you too. I try to incorporate self checking games during lessons because of the immediate feedbackkk!
We all want our kids to rise and shine but none of us want to go through the painful time taking act of grading and checking the assessments and creating the report cards.
That’s why math games can actually be a handy tool. It provides us with a way to keep ourselves on top of all the stuff other than teaching by utilizing the power of active learning, allowing students to practice and reinforce their skills in an interactive way.
It allows students to quickly see the results of their actions and understand what they need to improve. This immediate reinforcement can increase their confidence and motivate them to learn more.
4. Fun and Motivation
Let’s be honest: It is a chore to make math enjoyable and personalize activities for every kid. However, I believe learning is not only enjoyable with games; students are more than ready to engage with the material. Math games can turn a challenging subject into a fun and rewarding experience, which enhances a positive attitude towards math.
Digital games can be easily integrated into your lesson plans and are great for individual or small group work. One way is to customize games for different skill levels, making sure that all students, regardless of their abilities, are challenged appropriately and can progress at their own pace.
You can create different stations with various math games, like “Digital Fraction and Decimals Pixel Art Bundle.” Just assign students one of the activities and keep them engaged by exposing them to different types of problems.
Another way is to organize math game tournaments or challenges inside the classroom to add an element of friendly competition. However, this can even create a challenge of managing competitiveness among students. For this, make sure to emphasize the importance of teamwork and collaboration more. This can motivate students to practice more and improve their math skills.
Lastly, have students discuss what they learned and reflect on their strategies after playing. This will help solidify their understanding and encourage them to think critically about problem-solving techniques.
Math games are a fun and effective way to review important math concepts like decimal operations inside classrooms. Incorporating math games into your classroom can transform the way your students learn and engage with math. Making lessons interactive, engaging, and fun will help your students develop a deeper understanding and a love for the subject.
But it doesn’t have to be if its practiced with something fun like riddles.
Honestly, when I first started out teaching… division always felt like a confusing jumble of numbers because didn’t have their facts memorized.
No matter how much you try to make your kids practice division problems unless they have a solid grasp of math facts they won’t be able to work on those complex problems.
It’s like not knowing how to drive but trying to drive anyway.
If that’s the case, then what we should be focusing on is helping them get their basic math facts straight.
By fifth grade, students should be proficient in basic math facts but if that’s not the case, there’s a problem.
To be honest, there can be many reasons for this problem.
Reasons like
a lack of understanding,
memorization feeling like a draining task,
table overload,
multiplication confusion,
and more can all contribute to elementary kids not having a good grip on facts.
Are you interested in knowing how I make division practice fun and engaging for my kiddos?
Without making it seem like they are practicing… It’s by using riddles!
Riddles are a perfect teaching tool to help students develop division and problem-solving skills during back-to-school time or throughout the whole year.
Why Division Practice Is Important
Practicing division problems is crucial for a kid’s basic math learning and understanding.
It’s like a foundational math skill that helps kids make sense of math.
When children practice division, they learn how to break things into equal parts and understand the relationship between multiplication and division.
This reinforces their number sense, basically how they see and work with numbers in daily life.
It also helps them solve real-world problems.
Let’s say, they’re cutting a pizza into slices or figuring out how many cookies each friend gets, knowing how to divide makes it easier for them.
The most important thing is, it opens doors for advanced topics like fractions, ratios, and algebra later on grades.
Ina nutshell, division helps kids:
Increase their problem-solving abilities
Build confidence in handling day to day calculations
Improve their understanding of the world around them
Now that you know how important it is for our kids to practice division problems. Let’s talk solutions.
The best way I am able to get my students working on division practice is by using division riddles.
They keep kids focused on the task at hand and builds perseverance.
How Division Riddles Works:
You hand out one of the division riddles to your kids.
Using color by number activities in one of my favourite ways to bring excitment and fun inside classroom. I cannot tell you how much my kids look forward to using these for any topic or theme day.
Seriously its one of the best way in my opinion to keep them on the task while still interested in practicing math during math centers.
Try using the if your kids are hitting a math practicing roadblock. We even display the art result they produced in our classroom or gallery. Students feel super prod when I do that.
So today let’s discover five easy ways you can implement math color by number worksheets so you can have an engaged class that’s excited to work on them.
What is a Color by Number Worksheets:
Color by number worksheets aren’t just art and math combined today, instead they are a sure way to give your kids a more engaging and educational experience that they might miss out on during a traditional learning environment.
This way of practicing math provides a structured way to kid’s daily math practice. Today, I’m about to sow you how I use them to add engagement for any topic you want to teach be it fraction operation including word problems or order of operation along with decimal operations.
Why to use Color by number worksheets for developing understanding:
Using art in our daily learning is a fantastic way to increase our kid’s educational experience. Think of it this way: your kids solving math problems and revealing a historical place, figure, or even a themed art piece to set the mood for some festive spirit.
Coloring is also a calming activity that reduces stress and keeps them focused on the task while developing fine motor skills. This is one of the reason why I use color-by-number worksheets as a terrific way to keep them on track with their daily math progress while having fun.
Customizable Math Teaching Tool:
Every child is different, and no 2 kids can learn the same way. Customizing color by number worksheets to fit their needs and learning styles can drastically boost student’s engagement.
Here is how I achieve this. I display the finished color by number worksheets inside our classroom or hallway, which encourages students to perform better and acts as a reward for their hard work.
Develops Emotional Intelligence:
This type of activity not only gets student’s creative juices to follow but also keeps them calm and organized. This enhances their emotional intelligence and stamina to endure more demanding challenges in the learning process, which we as a teacher always strive for.
Independent and Self-Checking Practice:
If I had to pick one reason among all the above, this one would always surpass the rest. The most important thing any teacher wants is to cut down the time used for grading so we can actually do more of what we Love, aka “TEACHING“.
Color by number worksheets are a fantastic way to facilitate independent practice of topics like area of complex figures, order of operations during the math center activities or the morning bell work, or you can even leave them for a sub day and still get the teaching stuff done while you are away.
