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Arithmetic word problems for 2nd grade

These arithmetic word problems are great for children ages 7 and older who are looking to improve their addition and subtraction skills.

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There are 5 red birds and 7 blue birds sitting in a tree. Suddenly, 4 birds fly away. How many birds are in the tree?

  • Answer

    8 birds are in the tree

  • Explanation

    First add the birds: 5 + 7 = 12,
    Then subtract the birds that flew away: 12 - 4 = 8

Len had 12 daisies and 7 roses in a garden. Len picked 8 flowers out of his garden to give to a friend. How many flowers are left in the garden?

  • Answer

    11 flowers remain in the garden

  • Explanation

    First add the flowers: 12 + 7 = 19,
    Then subtract the flowers that he picked: 19 - 8 = 11

You have $30 in your bank account. You receive another $4 for doing chores. You spend $9 on a gift for your friend. How much money do you have left in your account?

  • Answer

    $25

  • Explanation

    First add all your money together: $30 + $4 = $34
    Then subtract the money you spent: $34 - $9 = $25

There are 8 boys and 7 girls playing on the playground. 3 children go back to class to read. How many children are still playing on the playground?

  • Answer

    12 children are still playing on the playground

  • Explanation

    First add all the children playing on the playground together: 8 + 7 = 15
    Then subtract the children that went inside: 15 - 3 = 12

Rorie has 17 dresses. 8 dresses are white, 4 are blue and the rest are green. How many green dresses does Rorie have?

  • Answer

    Rorie has 5 green dresses

  • Explanation

    First add all the white and blue dresses together: 8 + 4 = 12
    Then subtract those dresses from her total amount of dresses: 17 - 12 = 5

There were 25 apples and 8 bananas in a fruit bowl. 8 of the fruits were eaten. How many fruits were left in the fruit bowl?

  • Answer

    There were 25 fruits remaining in the bowl

  • Explanation

    First add all the fruit together: 25 + 8 = 33
    Then subtract the fruit that was eaten: 33 - 8 = 25

There were 9 mangos and 25 grapes in a fruit bowl. 13 of the fruits were eaten. How many fruits were left in the fruit bowl?

  • Answer

    There were 21 fruits remaining in the bowl

  • Explanation

    First add all the fruit together: 9 + 25 = 34
    Then subtract the fruit that was eaten: 34 - 13 = 21

Yannick has 87 blue toy cars and 25 red toy cars. He gave 45 toy cars to a friend. How many toy cars does Yannick have left?

  • Answer

    Yannick has 67 toy cars

  • Explanation

    First add all the toy cars together: 87 + 25 = 112
    Then subtract the toy cars that Yannick gave away: 112 - 45 = 67

Seth picked 4 apples and Teddy picked 8 apples. They ate 3 apples. How many apples did they have left?

  • Answer

    Seth and Teddy have 9 apples remaining

  • Explanation

    First add all the apples they picked together: 4 + 8 = 12
    The subtract the apples they ate: 12 - 3 = 9

Gracie had $40 and Martha had $20. They combined their money to buy a birthday present for their friend which cost $50. How much money do they have left?

  • Answer

    Gracie and Martha had $10 remaining after buying the gift

  • Explanation

    First add their money together: $40 + $20 = $60
    The subtract the cost of the gift: $60 - $50 = $10