grade 3 math problem solving questions

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CHALLENGE ZONE 3rd Grade Math Problems

Welcome to our 3rd Grade Math Problems. Here you will find our range of challenging math problem worksheets which are designed to give children the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge to solve a range of longer problems.

These problems are also a great way of developing perseverance and getting children to try different approaches in their math.

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3rd Grade Math Problems

Here you will find a range of problem solving worksheets.

The 3rd grade math problems on the sheets are longer math problems designed to encourage children to use a range of math skills to solve them.

The skills the problems will help to develop include:

• systematic working
• logical thinking
• number fact knowledge
• fraction problems
• trial and improvement strategies
• working systematically
• searching for all possible answers.

At third grade, the problems are starting to become more advanced with children needing to become more systematic in their approach and experimenting using trial and improvement strategies.

3rd Grade Math Word Problems

• Bikes and Trikes

Bikes and Trikes is an activity to encourage children to work systematically and find all possibilities for the number of bikes and trikes at a show.

• PDF version
• Captain's Coins

Captain's Coins is a 3rd grade math problem activity involving sharing out a pile of coins according to certain rules. This activity is good to use for developing trial and improvement strategie.

• Broken Calculator Problem 2

The Broken Calculator problem is a number problem involving using an imaginary broken calculator with only the 3, 5, +, - and = buttons working to make different totals.

There are 2 versions of the problem sheet, one with a pre-prepared template for filling in, and a second blank version for children to show their own recording system.

• Blank version
• Color that Shape

Color that Shape is a coloring activity which uses logical thinking to work out which shape needs to be shaded which color.

• Dilly's Eggs #2

Dilly's Eggs is an activity involving counting in different size steps. The aim is to work out how many eggs Dilly had from two separate rules. It is a good activity to develop systematic working and the use of lists or tables to solve a problem.

• Frogs in Ponds

Frogs in Ponds is a 3rd grade math problem activity which involves using trial and improvement and logical thinking to get the correct number of frogs into each of the ponds.

Join Me Up is an logical puzzle where the aim is to place the numbers from 1 to 7 into the puzzle so that no consecutive numbers are next to each other.

Place It RIght #3

Place It Right is a place value activity designed to get children thinking hard about where to put the beads on a place value abacus to get numbers closest to a specific total.

• Place It Right #3
• Sally's Rectangular Puzzle #1

Sally's Rectangular Puzzle is an adding puzzle where the aim is to give each circle a value so that the sides of the rectangles add together to make a given total.

Sally's Fruit Punch Challenge #1

Sally's Fruit Punch is a scaling problem involving changing a recipe for fruit punch for one glass into a recipe for ten glasses. In the challenge, you have to firstly work out the ingredients you need, and then work out the cost of the ingredients. This challenge is great for developing real-life math solving problems involving money and measures.

• Sally's Fruit Punch Challenge 1
• Sally's Fruit Punch Challenge 1 (UK version)
• Share the Treasure #3

Share the Treasure is a fraction sharing activity where the aim is to share 24 bars between a group of pirates. It is a good activity for developing fraction problem solving.

• Spot the Digits

Spot the Digits is a logic activity where children have to find out the values of the letters a, b, c and d. The values can be determined by using the 3 clues.

The Rock Race Challenge 1

The Rock Race is a number activity which needs some perseverance to complete. The aim of the activity is to try different routes around the 6 rocks to determine which route is the shortest.

• The Rock Race #1

The Three Spiders Problem

The Three Spiders Problem is another problem which involves finding all the possibilites. The aim of this task is to find all triples of odd numbers that add up to 23. Good for odd and even practice as well as adding three small numbers together and strategic thinking.

• Three Spiders Problem

Looking for some easier math problems?

We have a range of easier word problems at our 2nd-grade-math-salamanders website.

The problems on this page are at a simpler level than those here.

Many of the problems, e.g. Place It Right, Pick the Cards and Share the Treasure have easier versions on this page.

Using the link below will open our 2nd grade site in a new tab.

• Second grade Math Problems

Looking for some harder word problems

We have a range of more challenging word problems on our 4th grade problem solving page.

The problems on this page are at a trickier level than those here.

Some of the problems, e.g. The Rock Race and Share the Treasure have harder versions on this page.

• 4th Grade Math Problems

Looking for some more third grade math problems?

Here are a range of problems solving sheets for 3rd graders. Most of the sheets contain 'real-life' problems which involve real data.

Using the sheets will help your child to:

• apply their addition, subtraction, and multiplication skills;
• develop their knowledge of fractions;
• apply their knowledge of rounding and place value;
• solve a range of 'real life' problems.

All the 3rd grade sheets in this section support Elementary math benchmarks.

• Math Word Problems for kids 3rd Grade
• Multiplication Word Problem Worksheets 3rd Grade

3rd Grade Money Worksheets

On this webpage, you will find our 3rd grade Money Challenges.

These challenges involve solving money problems and are a great way for kids to develop their reasoning skills and practice their counting money at the same time.

• 3rd Grade Money Challenges
• 3rd Grade Math Puzzles

Here you will find a range of printable 3rd grade math puzzles for your child to enjoy.

The puzzles will help your child practice and apply their addition, subtraction and multiplication facts as well as developing their thinking and reasoning skills in a fun and engaging way.

Using these puzzles will help your child to:

• learn and practice their addition facts to 100;
• practice adding multiples of 10;
• practice their subtraction facts to 100;
• practice multiplication and division facts;
• develop problem solving skills and reasoning.

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Third Grade Math Worksheets

Free grade 3 math worksheets.

Our third grade math worksheets support numeracy development and introduce division, decimals, roman numerals, calendars and concepts in measurement and geometry. Our word problem worksheets review skills in real world scenarios. 

Choose your grade 3 topic:

Place Value and Rounding

Order of Operations

Roman Numerals

Fractions and Decimals

Counting Money

Time & Calendar

Data & Graphing

Word Problems

Sample Grade 3 Math Worksheet

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35 math problems for 3 rd graders

In 3rd grade, students are introduced to important math concepts that become the building blocks for future mathematical learning. Let’s practice those concepts with this list of math problems for 3rd graders.

Author Katie Wickliff

Published September 25, 2023

• Key takeaways
• In 3rd grade math, students develop a deeper understanding of multiplication and division, fractions, and measurements.
• Word problems for 3rd graders require more advanced comprehension skills.
• Place Value: Understanding place value helps us read and write numbers correctly and compare their values.
• Look for opportunities for your child to practice their math at home–worksheets, math games , or a math practice app will help strengthen new mathematical knowledge. While consistency is key, math practice for 3rd graders should be engaging and fun.

Table of contents

• Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Measurement
• Multi-step word problems

Answer sheet

In addition to reviewing and strengthening the skills learned in previous years, 3rd graders learn multiplication and division, explore fractions, calculate measurements, and more. Also, word problems for 3rd graders are often multi-step, requiring students to understand what operations to perform and how to perform them correctly. 

This list of 3rd grade math problems is intended to reinforce concepts students have already been taught. The list is divided into sections: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, measurement, and multi-step problems. These sections allow students to specifically focus their practice, but feel free to skip around and choose the 3rd grade math practice problems that best suit your child’s needs. 

35 Third Grade Math Problems

Section 1: addition.

At the school carnival, Hattie won 25 tickets at ring toss and 40 tickets at balloon darts. How many tickets did she win altogether?

There are 15 baby chicks at the barn. 12 more chicks are born. How many baby chicks are at the barn now?

How can you represent the number line with an equation?

Using the number line, solve 7+ _ = 22

Amir practices basketball three days a week. On Tuesday, he practices basketball for 60 minutes. On Wednesday, he practices for 37 minutes. On Thursday, he practices for 15 minutes. Which expression shows how to find the total number of minutes Amir practiced? Circle the correct answer

Section 2: Subtraction

Using the number line, solve 17-6=

There are 224 Lions fans and 212 Tigers fans at the football game. How many more Lions fans than Tigers fans are at the game?

An animal shelter has 27 kittens available for adoption. On Friday, 8 kittens are adopted. How many kittens are left at the shelter?

Gemma has 130 beads for bracelets. She gives 75 beads to Piper and 6 beads to Claire. Which expression shows how to find the total number of beads Gemma has left? Circle the correct answer.

Using the number line, solve 30- _ = 14

Section 3: Multiplication

Using the picture below, write a multiplication equation to find the number of shapes

Francis and Jane are playing a card game. Francis has 7 cards. Jane has 3 times as many cards as Francis. How many cards does Jane have?

Using the number line to show hops, complete the multiplication sentence

Solve the equation

Mariela has 8 pages of math homework. There are 4 problems on each page. How many total problems does Mariela have for math homework?

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Section 4: Division

Connor has 80 crayons that he will put into crayon boxes. Each crayon box can hold 8 crayons. How many crayon boxes does he need?

Using the number line to show hops, complete the division sentence

Natalie divided 12 marbles into equal groups of 3. Draw a representation to show equal grouping.

Craig’s mom brought 12 cookies to the soccer game. She shared them equally among Craig and 3 teammates. Which expression will solve the problem correctly? Circle the answer.

Section 5: Fractions

Using the number line, work out what A, B and C represent.

Plot ¼ on this number line:

A cheese pizza has 8 slices. Marco ate 2 of the slices. His dad at the rest.  What fraction of the pizza did Marco eat? What fraction of the pizza did his dad eat?

There are 15 flowers in a garden. 10 flowers are yellow and the rest are red. What is the fraction of red flowers in the garden?

Using the number line, find the value of K and L. Which is bigger?

Section 6: Measurement

A school bus is 12 feet long and a car is 4 feet shorter than the bus. How long is the car?

John is 64 inches tall, Mabel is 59 inches tall, and Phoebe is 57 inches tall. How much taller is John than Phoebe?

Use the ruler provided to measure to the nearest ¼ inch:

Find the area of the square below

Find the perimeter of the rectangle below

Section 7: Multi-step word problems

Sarah has two $10 bills. Her sister has one $5 bill. They combine their money to buy a game that costs $22 dollars. How much change will they receive?

Dad baked 36 cookies for the bake sale. Jonas baked 24 cookies for the bake sale. His brother ate 5 cookies before the bake sale started. How many cookies do they have left to sell?

The school bus seats 75 students in all. On Friday, the school bus was full. At the first stop, 7 students got off. At the second stop, 15 students got off. How many children were left on the bus?

George has 25 water balloons. He wants to divide the water balloons equally between himself and 2 friends. How many water balloons will each get? Will there be any water balloons left over?

On Monday, 5 inches of snow fell. On Tuesday, 3 inches of snow fell. On Wednesday, 7 inches of snow fell. The school will have a snow day if it snows 21 inches or more. How many more inches would it have to snow for the school to have a snow day?

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Addition answers

25+40= 65. Hattie won 65 tickets

15+12= 27. 27 baby chicks are at the barn

7+ 15= 22. This should be represented by 15 “hops” on the number line

Subtraction answers

17-6=11. This should be represented by 11 “hops” on the number line

224-212= 12. There are 12 more Lions fans than Tiger fans

27-8= 19. There are 19 kittens left at the shelter.

Multiplication answers

2×3=6; 3×2=6

7×3=21. Jane has 21 cards.

8×4= 32

Division answers

40÷8= 5. It will take Max 5 days to pay Bennett.

Drawing should show 3 groups of 4 marbles each.

Fractions answers

The ¼ should be plotted on the point between 0 and ½

Marco ate 2/8 (or ¼) of the pizza. His dad ate 6/8 (or ¾) of the pizza

5/15 (or ⅓)

K= ⅜, L= 6/8 (or ¾). L is larger.

Measurement answers

12-4=8. The car is 8 feet long.

64-57=7. John is 7 inches taller than Phoebe

8×8=64. The area is 64 yd2

8+8+2+2=20 cm

Multi-step word answer answers

$10+$10= $20. 

$20+$5=$25.

$25-$22= $3

 Sarah and her sister will receive $3 in change

They have 55 cookies left to sell

53 students are left on the bus

George and his friends each get 6 water balloons, with one left over.

• 5 in+ 3 in+ 7 in= 15 in

21 in- 15 in= 6 in

It must snow 6 more inches to get a snow day. 

Lesson credits

Katie Wickliff

Katie holds a master’s degree in Education from the University of Colorado and a bachelor’s degree in both Journalism and English from The University of Iowa. She has over 15 years of education experience as a K-12 classroom teacher and Orton-Gillingham certified tutor. Most importantly, Katie is the mother of two elementary students, ages 8 and 11. She is passionate about math education and firmly believes that the right tools and support will help every student reach their full potential.

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