Third-graders are usually between the ages of 8 and 9 years old. They understand money and the concepts of spending and saving. The students can easily relate to word problems involving money and see how math applies to real-world activities. Examples of word problems involving money are listed below. Jimmy is saving up for a video game that costs $85. So far he has $44 saved up. How many more dollars does Jimmy need to buy his video game? The answer is $41. If Lauren has two dimes, five nickels and 12 quarters and spends $3 at the candy store, how much money does she have left over? The answer is 45 cents.
Third-grade students also understand concepts relating to food. Here are some examples of subtraction word problems based on food. Shelly's mom bought 28 strawberries at the grocery store. Shelly ate 12 of the strawberries. Her brother ate four of the strawberries. How many strawberries are left in the basket? The answer is 12. Garrett won first place in a hot dog eating contest. He ate 22 hot dogs. Terry ate 13 hot dogs. How many more hot dogs did Garrett eat? The answer is nine. Kim picked 64 tomatoes from the garden. Eighteen of the tomatoes were rotten. How many good tomatoes are left? The answer is 46.
Use scenarios related to school as word problems. Children can then understand how basic math word problems are solved all around them each day. There are 27 students in Olivia's science class. Nineteen students are going on the field trip to the aquarium. How many students will not be going? The answer is eight. George is writing a 200-word essay. He has already written 104 words. How many more words does George need to complete his essay? The answer is 96.
Kids love to play sports or participate in other activities. Develop interesting word problems relating to these things. Here's an example. Kyle scored 28 points in a basketball game. Mandy scored 10. How many more points did Kyle score? The answer is 18. Alicia collected 87 Silly Bands. She gave 12 to her sister and 16 to her brother. How many Silly Bands does Alicia have left? The answer is 59.