The step that turns a word problem into algebra is naming the unknown and writing an equation for it. These free printable worksheets ask a child to call the missing amount x, write the equation the story describes, and solve it.
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.
Why this sheet works
The numbers stay deliberately small so the work is the modeling, not the arithmetic. Solving x + 12 = 27 or 3 × x = 24 is easy once the equation is written; the difficulty the sheet builds is reading a situation and turning it into that equation in the first place. This is grade-4 work — representing a problem with a letter for the unknown — reaching toward the equation-solving of later algebra.
How this one works
One question from a sheet like this one, worked a step at a time — with a sentence saying what just happened and why.
1Dr. Okafor put 20 ration packs equally into 4 crates.How many ration packs went in each crate? Write an equation using x, then solve it.Equationx =
2Dr. Okafor packed 22 batteries into crates of 11. Besides those, Dr. Okafor has 19 core samples.How many crates did Dr. Okafor fill? Write an equation using x, then solve it.Equationx =
3Sato has 30 ration packs, which is 6 times as many as Vega has. Sato also has 7 core samples.How many ration packs does Vega have? Write an equation using x, then solve it.Equationx =
4Sato put 42 spare parts equally into 7 lockers.How many spare parts went in each locker? Write an equation using x, then solve it.Equationx =
Word problems · EquationsAnswer key
1. 4x = 20, so x = 5 ration packs2. 11x = 22, so x = 2 crates3. 6x = 30, so x = 5 ration packs4. 7x = 42, so x = 6 spare parts
