3rd Grade Age Riddles Worksheet: Who Is Older, Who Is Younger?

An age riddle hides one age behind a chain of clues. This 3rd grade age riddles worksheet has three word problems. In the first, Mrs. Grace has three children, and your child finds the age of Joy. In the second, four women are linked by clues, and the question asks for James. In the third, Lisa and two friends talk about their ages by a campfire, so your child finds who is the youngest. Each clue says "older than" or "younger than", so your child adds or subtracts one step at a time. Three children and two women decorate the page. Page two writes every clue as a line of math.

From one known age to the next

The answers are Joy 20, James 45 and Lisa as the youngest. In problem 1, Belter is 21 and Peter is 7 years younger, so Peter is 14, while Joy is 6 years older, so she is 20. In problem 2, Christabell is 50 + 2 = 52, Angie is 52 − 2 = 50, and James is 50 − 5 = 45.

Problem 3 starts with the sister, who is 44, and Lisa is 12 years younger than her, so Lisa is 32. Next, Erica is 32 + 22 = 54, and Ella is 54 − 12 = 42. As a result, Lisa is the youngest. Every answer in the key is right.

At the table: start with the number you know

In each riddle, ask your child to find the one age that is given, such as "Doreen is 50". Then they draw an arrow to the next person and write + or − on it, because "older" means add and "younger" means subtract. This turns the riddle into a chain of small steps, since each clue is a small comparison problem and the whole riddle is a multi-step problem.

The text has slips. In problem 1, a period is missing between "21 years old" and "Peter". The key also writes "James age" instead of "James's age" and "2years" without a space. The names "Belter" and "Christabell" are unusual, so read them aloud first.

After the page: the family riddle

Make a riddle with real ages from your family. For example: "Grandma is 30 years older than Mom, and Mom is 35. How old is Grandma?" Your child solves it and then writes a riddle for you. Next, add a third person to make the chain longer. This game builds logical reasoning. Finally, check the three riddles with the answer key on page two.