Three-Digit Addition Worksheets Using Addition Strategies

These three-digit addition worksheets are available at four different levels and practice five different addition strategies: use a number line, use base-10 blocks, break apart the addends, use Vs, and vertical addition.

The scaffolded levels provide plenty of practice and steps for students to be successful when adding three-digit numbers using a variety of addition strategies.

Three-digit addition can be complicated for students who do not have good number sense.  The worksheets and activities in this unit focus on developing number sense while adding three-digit numbers.  They provide just the right amount of support to help students transition from highly scaffolded addition strategies to adding three-digit numbers with less support.

What is Included in the Three-Digit Addition Worksheets Resource

The problems in this three-digit addition resource move from simple (adding 100s) to complex (regrouping at any place value) while practicing these main strategies: Use a Number Line, Use Base-10 Blocks, and Break Apart (also called Ungroup, Incremental Adding, adding by Place Value). 

The Break Apart Strategy is illustrated in three formats: using a V, adding 100s to 100s, 10s to 10s, and 1s to 1s, and vertically by place value.  All of these strategies are the same but formatted differently for different learners. Teachers can easily differentiate the worksheets for different levels of learners. The strategies are repeated at each level so that students learn to apply them to different problems.

Would you like some FREE worksheets focusing on the three-digit addition strategies you see in this post, including the break-apart addition strategy?

Four Levels of Three-Digit Addition Worksheets

We have provided four levels of three-digit addition problems to help students transition from adding two-digit numbers.  The five sections are:

1. Add Hundreds (300+400)
2. Add Hundreds and Tens, No Regrouping (440 + 320)
3. No Regrouping (442 + 351)
4. Regrouping
   A. Regrouping 1s only
   B. Regrouping 10s only
   C. Regrouping 10s OR 1s
   D. Regrouping ALL Places, Except 100s
5. Extra Mixed Practice at all the levels

In addition to the 189 pages of three-digit worksheets, we have included template pages where you can write your own problems and an editable Powerpoint where you can type out your own problems. An answer key is included as well.

One additional feature in each section is pages where students compare the addition strategies using the numbers within that section.  Students compare adding using a number line with breaking apart the addends and compare breaking apart the addends to using a V.  By comparing different strategies, students can choose the most effective strategy that makes sense for them.

The Five Different Addition Strategies

Use a Number Line

The number lines are presented in two ways.  All methods have students start adding with the largest number.  The format of the number lines is repeated at each level, with accommodations for the complexity of the problems.

One other format includes directions with blank spaces for the numbers.  The numbers are removed so that students can fill in the number of jumps.

Separate Small Number

The first method has students break apart the smaller addend and jump by the number of hundreds, then the number of tens and then the number of ones.

For example, the directions for 565 + 304 read:

1. Start at 565.
2. Make three jumps of 100, zero jumps of 10 and four jumps of 1.
3. Find the number you jumped to.

With this method, students can make separate jumps of 3 hundreds.  This is the simpler method.

Larger Jumps

With the second method students make larger jumps. For example, the directions for 565 + 304 read:

1. Start at 565.
2. Jump 300.  Jump 4.
3. Find the number you jumped to.

This method still breaks apart the jumps but students have to make larger jumps. This helps transition them to the other strategies.

Use Base-10 Blocks

On these three-digit addition worksheets, students draw squares, sticks and dots to represent each addend.  There are two versions of the worksheets, one with a place for the sum to be drawn and one without a place for the sum.

Use the format without the sum to encourage counting.  Use the format with the sum to encourage regrouping strategies.

Break Apart or Ungroup the Addends

In this section, students expand each addend into hundreds, tens and ones.  After expanding, students add hundreds to hundreds, tens to tens and ones to ones, then group the hundreds, tens and ones back together into the final sum.

This section is great for students who are moving from drawing symbols to using numbers but have difficulty keeping track of it mentally.

Add with Vs

This strategy is the same as Add Tens to Tens and Ones to Ones in the Two-Digit Addition No-Prep Worksheets and Math Stations.  We have labeled it differently, since the Break Apart Strategy, and really any place value strategy, adds the like place values together.  This particular strategy uses Vs to draw lines connecting hundreds to hundreds, tens to tens, and ones to ones, adding each together separately.

Students can do the activities in this section in one of two ways, with numbers or with base-10 block drawings.  More proficient students will feel comfortable using numbers and being able to cross over 100.  Less proficient students may need to continue to draw the sticks and dots.

This section is great for students who are learning to group tens together and ones together without having to draw each addend separately.

Vertical Adding by Place Value

This strategy asks students to add each place value separately and place the sum vertically below the problem.  Students then add the sums together to arrive at the answer.  This three-digit addition strategy is an extension of the Adding with Vs above, but written in a different orientation.  This three-digit addition strategy is a great transition to the traditional algorithm.  

Compare the Strategies

The last set of worksheets bring together two strategies at a time.  Students have an opportunity to see how the strategies relate to one another and choose the one they prefer to use.

How to Purchase the Three-Digit Addition Worksheets

The Three-Digit Addition Worksheets are available on my website and on Teachers Pay Teachers.

We have also created three-digit subtraction worksheets as well as math stations that correlate with the two-digit addition and subtraction materials. 

Free Three-Digit Addition Worksheets

Get some of the Three-Digit Addition Worksheets to try out for free!  Click on the image below to access your free addition worksheets!

Two-Digit Addition and Subtraction Resources

Two-Digit Addition and Subtraction Worksheets and Math Stations that follow the same set of scaffolded addition and subtraction strategies are also available.  You can read more about the two-digit math stations here.