Kindergarten Math: Comparison Word Problems
Kindergarten math: comparison problems ask how many more or how many fewer, with nothing taken away: 'Mia has 9 shells and Jon has 6, how many more does Mia have?' The answer comes from subtracting, which surprises children who think of subtraction only as taking away. 120 printable worksheets, first three free.
Practice pages support a program; they are not the lesson. These sheets reinforce Building Number Sense Kindergarten, the sequenced K–5 math series from Faith Thinkers. See every program →
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Teaching Comparison Word Problems
What it is
Comparison problems ask how many more or how many fewer, with nothing taken away: 'Mia has 9 shells and Jon has 6, how many more does Mia have?' The answer comes from subtracting, which surprises children who think of subtraction only as taking away.
When a child is ready
Teach after take-away subtraction, once the child can line two groups up and see which one is longer.
If they struggle
Draw the two amounts as two rows and have the child draw a line joining each of Mia's shells to one of Jon's; the shells left with no line are the answer. Then ask the same story the other way — how many fewer does Jon have — so the child hears that one gap answers both questions.
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