Area and Perimeter Word Problems

Grade level

Grades 3–4

Time

About 25 minutes

Topic

Math word problems

Answer key

Yes, page 2 of the PDF

Kids practice

Reading word problems, Choosing the operation, Showing work, Multi-step reasoning

What kids do

“Area or perimeter? Draw the shape, label the sides and solve.”

Printed on the sheet:

1. 1 A garden is 8 feet long and 5 feet wide. What is its area?
2. 2 A rug is 6 feet long and 4 feet wide. What is its perimeter?
3. 4 A fence goes all the way around a field 25 meters long and 15 meters wide.
4. How long is the fence?
5. 5 A poster has an area of 48 square inches. It is 8 inches wide. How tall is it?
6. 6 A room is 12 feet by 10 feet. Carpet costs $3 a square foot. How much does carpet for the whole room cost?

Words on this sheet

square feetfeetsquare inchesmetersinches

Teacher tip

Ask kids to decide “inside or around?” before they pick area or perimeter.

How to use it

• Read each problem out loud for kids who are still building reading skills.
• Teach a routine: read it, picture it, circle the question, solve, check.
• Do the first problem together under a document camera, then let kids finish on their own.

Watch for

Kids who grab the numbers and add without reading. Ask them to retell the story first.

Talk about it

• What is the question really asking?
• Which problem was the hardest? What made it hard?

Take it further

Pick one problem and change one number. How does the answer change?

US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.