Free Printable Addition Worksheets

About the Addition Worksheets

These sheets are sorted by skill, not just by how big the numbers are. That matters most for 2-digit addition: one sheet has no regrouping at all and the next has regrouping in every problem, so you can tell which step a child is stuck on. If regrouping is new, start with the regrouping page, which shows the trade with base-ten blocks before the written steps.

The four picture sheets come before the practice sets. Number bonds show a number split into two parts. Doubles and make ten are the two fact groups children lean on to work out the rest: 6 + 7 is one more than double 6, and 8 + 5 is 8 + 2 to make ten, then 3 more. Fact families tie each addition fact to its subtraction facts.

The two near doubles sheets teach that first strategy on its own. A near double is two numbers next to each other, such as 6 + 7 or 9 + 8. The child finds the double of the smaller number and adds one more: 6 + 6 = 12, so 6 + 7 = 13. The first sheet shows it with two rows of dots, one a dot longer than the other. The practice sheet asks children to spot a near double among doubles and other facts before using it.

The sets are fixed, so a child can repeat the same sheet and see it get easier. A sensible order is within 10, within 20, then the 60-fact sheet once the facts are known, then 2-digit and 3-digit addition. Four 1st grade sheets sit between the facts and column addition: Add Three Numbers and its story sheet (sums to 20), Add Tens (30 + 20, then 34 + 20) and Add Ones to a 2-Digit Number (45 + 3, then 27 + 5). Add Three 2-Digit Numbers and Add Four 2-Digit Numbers come after 2-digit regrouping: the ones column can now add up to 20 or more, so two tens may be carried.

Four more 1st grade sheets are about the equation itself. The Equal Sign: True or False and True or False Equations teach that the equal sign means "the same as", not "the answer comes next". Children who only ever see 5 + 3 = 8 often mark 8 = 5 + 3 and 5 + 2 = 4 + 3 as wrong. Missing Addends and Missing Number Stories put the unknown in the middle or at the start, as in 8 + ? = 13 and ? + 4 = 13, which is the first step toward algebra.

For children who are not ready for written facts, start with picture addition and ten frames. For stories, see addition word problems. The matching subtraction worksheets follow the same order.

The mystery picture is fact practice with a reason to finish: each square has a fact, the answer says which crayon to use, and a picture shows up as the squares fill in. The secret code joke works the same way with letters: each answer points to a letter in the code box, and the letters spell the punchline. There are more addition pictures, and holiday ones, on the mystery pictures page.