3rd Grade Even or Odd Numbers Worksheet: Check the Last Digit

Show an eight-year-old the number 395,237 and ask whether it is even. Many will start to count, or freeze in front of six digits. This 3rd grade even or odd numbers worksheet teaches a shortcut that works for any size. A note at the top gives the rule: even numbers end in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8, and odd numbers end in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9. Below it, thirteen numbers follow, from 500 and 681 up to 267,980 and 395,237. For each one, your child looks only at the ones digit and ticks odd or even. A second page gives the answer key.

Why one digit is enough

Every number is made of tens, hundreds and thousands, plus its ones. The tens, hundreds and thousands always split into two equal groups, so they never change the answer. Only the ones digit decides.

That is why 29,574 is even and 16,903 is odd. With large numbers, size does not matter.

This idea also prepares third graders for multiplication and division. When they know that 708 splits into two equal halves, they are ready for sharing in equal groups. Later, the same habit of reading one place in a number helps with rounding and with place value.

At the table: the big numbers at the bottom

Start with 681 and 926. Ask your child to point to the last digit and say it aloud. Then let them tick a box.

The trap waits at the bottom of the page. Facing 395,237 or 267,980, some children read the first digit, or the biggest one, instead of the last. Others think a long number must be even. If a tick looks wrong, ask, "Which digit sits in the ones place?" Then wait.

Also watch 500. A zero at the end puzzles some children, so remind them that 0 belongs to the even list in the note.

Finally, check all thirteen together with the answer key.

House numbers and price tags

Even and odd numbers are easy to spot outside. On a walk, look at the house numbers. On many streets, one side has the even numbers and the other side has the odd ones. Ask your child to guess the next number before you reach the door.

At the store, read a price or a receipt total together. Your child covers every digit with a finger except the last one, then says "even" or "odd." Keep it short.

Once the page is complete, name the effort: "You checked the last digit every time, even on six-digit numbers."