Adding & subtracting decimals word problems

A word problem with decimals asks two things at once: which operation fits the story, and where the decimal points go. The numbers stay small on purpose, so the thinking goes into the reading.

Each story leans on a different clue. Change from a note means subtract. More than means add to the first amount, so Jade weighs 57.20 + 13.3 = 70.50 kg, once 13.3 is written as 13.30. The fruit farm question adds three weights to 78.02 pounds. That is adding and subtracting decimals in context, the step after bare columns.

The main standard is 6.NS.B.3, fluent decimal operations, with 5.NBT.B.7, adding and subtracting decimals to hundredths, as a Grade 5 review.

Read problem 1 out loud, then stop. "Is Leila getting money or spending it?" Let your child decide before any numbers move. Then line up 10.00 and 2.75, and the $7.25 in change appears.

The likely slip is on problem 2: many kids see two weights and subtract, because a sister is involved. Ask, "Is Jade heavier or lighter?"

A note for parents on problem 3: page 1 says Mike jumped 9.85 m further than James, which would make his jump 18.75 m. The answer page treats 9.85 m as Mike's whole jump and gives 0.95 m as the difference. Tell your child to read it as a 9.85 m jump in total, then subtract 8.90. The question should ask how much farther Mike jumped.

At the store, let your child predict the change before you pay, using the price on the receipt and the bill in your hand. At the produce scale, weigh two bags of fruit separately, then together, and see if the decimals agree.

In the park, mark two standing jumps with a tape measure and find the difference to the hundredth of a meter. It is problem 3, done honestly.

On game night, a round of Monopoly with your child as banker means making change on every purchase. Ask them to say each subtraction before handing the money over.

Close by naming the work: "You chose the operation before you touched the numbers." The next sheet asks for estimates first, rounding to whole numbers to check sums like these.