Grade Levels: K-3

These family and homeschool activities are designed to complement the Choosing an Operation topic on BrainPOP Jr.

Multiple Operations

Explain to your child that to solve some word problems, you may need to use more than one operation. Then write a word problem that involves both addition and subtraction. For example, you might pose the following problem: “Moby has 10 points. He gains 2 points. But, then he loses 3 points. How many points does he have now?” Walk through the problem together, using number sentences and manipulatives. Then have your child create a word problem that uses both addition and subtraction for you to solve. You may want to “make a mistake” and have your child correct you.

Changing Problems

Pose an addition word problem such as, “Annie sees 6 butterflies. Moby sees 3 butterflies. How many do they see all together?” Have your child name the operation he or she needs to use in order to solve the problem, and then solve it. Next, either you or your child should change the word problem so it becomes a subtraction problem. Using the example here, you might say, “How many more butterflies did Annie see than Moby?” Repeat the activity, this time starting with a subtraction word problem and then changing it into an addition problem.