Updated April 8, 2026

I’m not a big fan of the term “word problems”. To start with, calling it a problem already makes it seem hard.

I’ve talked with countless teachers about their students’ struggles with word problems,and over the years, it typically boils down to one thing: students don’t understand what they’re being asked to do.   

This leads teachers to ask:

• Why are word problems so hard?
• Are word problems even necessary?
• What do students actually gain from  solving them?

Why are word problems so hard?

It’s frustrating when you’ve taught all the strategies and practiced repeatedly–and your kids still don’t know what to do. They don’t understand what the problem is asking (if they even read it), and they either give up or pluck out numbers and guess at an operation. 

There’s almost always one culprit: reading comprehension. 

This is exactly why I don’t like the term “word problems”. It feels abstract and clinical. Really, they’re just stories with numbers in them. I call them number stories.

Some common teaching approaches actually make this worse. When students are taught to look for key words or follow a fixed series of steps, we’re inadvertently hindering their comprehension.

As Reading Rockets puts it, “If we ask students to only rely on knowing that certain key words signal specific operations, we can actually lead them away from trying to understand the problems.”

When we treat number stories like stories, they become more approachable. Like any story, they have:

• Characters
• Action
• Setting
• A main idea
• A beginning, middle, and end

That reframe changes everything about how we help students work through them.

Are word problems necessary?

Students begin working with number stories as early as kindergarten. I’ve heard teachers (and parents) wonder if it’s even worth it. Some are tempted to skip them entirely, or to read them aloud and explain what’s being asked so students can  “just focus on the math”. 

But number stories are the math. 

They give students the context they need to make sense of abstract ideas. 

As Edutopia puts it: “Word problems are a powerful tool for teaching math concepts to students. They offer a practical and relatable approach to problem-solving, enabling students to understand the relevance of math in real-life situations.”

What do students gain from solving word problems?

Plenty. Beyond math class, word problems build skills students use across every subject, and in life. They develop critical thinking, analytical reasoning, logic, creativity, and decision-making. 

I love how Mathnasium describes it: students learn to reach into their “mental toolbox.” They’re not just solving for x; they’re learning to navigate complexity.

Standards for Mathematical Practice

If you’re familiar with the Standards for Mathematical Practice, Standard 2 asks students to reason abstractly and quantitatively. These standards were developed based on decades of research about the skills students need to be mathematically proficient. 

When working with number stories, students begin to hone these reasoning skills. To make sense of quantities, they have to contextualize (give meaning to symbols) and decontextualize (represent a situation symbolically). Number stories are one of the best vehicles for developing exactly that..

Conclusion

Number stories aren’t just a math exercise. They help students build:

• Critical thinking & analytical skills
• Reading comprehension
• Logic & creativity
• Decision-making & reasoning

And honestly? I can’t think of a single argument against teaching skills like those.

References

Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Word problems in mathematics: Reading and understanding written math problems. Reading Rockets*.https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/content-area-literacy/articles/reading-and-understanding-written-math-problems#:~:text=Word%20problems%20in%20mathematics%20often,and%20solve%20a%20numerical%20equation

Mathnasium. (2019, September 23). The Benefits of Word Problems. Mathnasium Blog.https://www.mathnasium.com/ca/blog/20190923-the-benefits-of-word-problems

*I included this article because it brought up great points about why key words are problematic. At the end of the article, it does include a chart with key word terminology. I strongly discourage their use and encourage you to read my previous blog linked in the section about CUBES and key words hindering mathematics.