Adding Decimals: Worksheets for 3rd Grade Students

How to Create a Decimal Worksheet for Your 3rd Grader

When 3rd graders are adding decimals, they need to pay attention to place value to make sure the decimal points are lined up. Easy decimal addition problems usually have two numbers that are the same size. For example, 7.5 + 5.6 is easy because both numbers have digits in the ones and tenths places. Harder problems have mixed numbers, like 10.58 + 6.3. Include both types when creating your own worksheet at home for practice.

Money is an effective way for your child to practice adding decimals because it is practical. Add some word problems to your worksheet to help your child prepare for standardized tests. These problems also help your child connect math to real life. Remember that you can always use real-life situations to practice, such as when you go to the store or pay your child for doing chores.

Sample Worksheet

Although the following problems are formatted horizontally, it is important that the numbers and decimal points are lined up vertically on your own worksheet.

1. 8.5 + 2.1

The answer is 10.6.

2. 3.9 + 4

This may be more challenging because the second integer doesn't have a decimal point. For this problem, simply add a zero to the four, so it looks like this: 4.0. Then, add like normal: 3.9 + 4.0 = 7.9.

3. 8 + 11.201

Like this above problem, eight should be rewritten like this: 8.000. Though the two numbers don't have the same amount of digits, make sure your child is lining up the decimal point. The answer is 19.201.

4. At the store, Mandy bought a shirt that cost $34.63 and shoes that cost $40.50. How much did she spend in all?

Mandy spent $75.13 total. In problems like this, where a number has to be carried over, it can be especially beneficial if your child shows his or her work clearly and neatly so you can make sure the problem is being solved correctly.

5. Chris had 50 cents in his pocket. Then, he found a $10 bill. On his way home, he found an additional 63 cents. How much money does Chris have total?

To format this problem correctly, your child should rewrite the numbers like this: 00.50 + 10.00 + 00.63. This way, there is a digit in every column. In all, Chris has $11.13.