Equation word problems worksheets

What's on this sheet

Every problem hides one unknown quantity, and the child's job is to represent it. A story where an amount starts unknown, grows, and ends at a total becomes x + p = q; a story where equal groups make a total becomes p × x = q. Writing that equation is the real skill — it is the first time a child uses a letter to stand for a number they do not know yet, which is exactly where algebra begins.