Order of Operations (add, subtract, multiply)

Before handing out the worksheet, briefly introduce the concept with a short oral warm-up or a visual model on the board. Encourage students to talk through their thinking as they work: "What strategy are you using? How do you know that is right?" After completing the worksheet, review any missed problems together and discuss the reasoning rather than just the answer. For extra support, let students use manipulatives or draw pictures alongside the written problems. These order of operations worksheets work well as daily practice, homework, or a focused review activity.

These order of operations worksheets for 3rd grade give students the structured, hands-on practice they need to build confidence and fluency. Students work through a range of problem formats, from visual models and diagrams to written equations and word problems, so they encounter order of operations from every angle. Each worksheet is designed to build on prior knowledge while introducing the level of challenge appropriate for 3rd grade. Practicing order of operations at this stage strengthens the mathematical foundations that support more advanced concepts in later grades.

"Order of Operations (add, subtract, multiply) - Search" is written for 3rd Grade (Ages 8-9), and it covers Common Core 3.OA.B.5. If your little one is a year younger but already steady here, the page still works. You may just need to read the instructions out loud. And if they are older and order of operations never quite stuck, this is a short review rather than busywork.

Yes, both. We made it for 3rd Grade order of operations, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

It means following a specific sequence when an expression has multiple operations: solve parentheses first, then multiply, then add or subtract from left to right.

In 3rd grade, problems typically involve three operations (add, subtract, multiply) and simple parentheses; division and exponents are added in later grades.

PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply, Divide, Add, Subtract) is widely taught, though at 3rd grade level, focus stays on parentheses, multiplication, addition, and subtraction.

Third grade introduces the concept that multiplication and division are performed before addition and subtraction in an expression without parentheses (CCSS 3.OA). This is a precursor to the full order of operations (PEMDAS) formalized in fifth grade (5.OA.A.1). Third graders work with simple two-operation expressions to develop this foundational understanding.

Use concrete examples to show that order matters: 2 + 3 × 4 can equal 20 or 14 depending on which operation is done first. Show that 14 (multiply first) is the mathematically agreed-upon convention. Keep expressions simple - avoid parentheses and exponents at this level. Worksheets with step-by-step guided solutions showing which operation to solve first model the reasoning process.

Without consistent order of operations, the same expression could have different values for different people - making mathematical communication impossible. Third graders encounter this implicitly whenever they evaluate two-step word problems. Explicit instruction on the convention prepares students for the full PEMDAS rule in fifth grade and algebraic thinking in middle school.