Math Worksheet with Occupations: Trade Pictures for Numbers

This Grade 2 math worksheet uses pictures of Occupations as stand-ins for numbers, so the child reads a small key, swaps each picture for its value, and then solves the expression. At the top, a short key gives every symbol a single-digit number — one picture might be worth four, another six. Below it, the child meets number sentences that mix adding and subtracting, such as one symbol plus a second minus a third. The work is real calculation: look up each value, substitute it in, then add and subtract from left to right to find the answer, which can climb to around forty. Trading the familiar Occupations for numbers keeps the arithmetic friendly while the child practises exactly the kind of two-step adding and subtracting that Grade 2 is built on.

Here the expressions grow to three symbols, so the child substitutes three values and works through both adding and subtracting in one sentence. Reading the key for the Occupations, swapping each in, and solving from left to right is satisfying two-step practice. The answers reach into the twenties and thirties, keeping the calculation squarely at Grade 2.

If your child enjoys this math worksheet with Occupations, there is plenty more to solve, at a pace that feels right. You can print the worksheet as a PDF to work on paper, or play the interactive version online, always free and with no sign-up. There are no timers and no scores: each child substitutes, adds, and subtracts in their own time, with warmth and no shame about a tricky problem. When this is easy, try a symbol math worksheet with Occupations that uses longer expressions, or solve the same key with a fresh set of pictures. You can also browse every math worksheet to keep the adding and subtracting going, steadily and at your child's own pace.