Max Conquers the Mystery Mansion: Math Scavenger Hunt!

About this Grade 3 Mixed All Operations Drill

By third grade, students need to move beyond solving single operations in isolation and tackle problems that mix addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in one expression. This is where real mathematical thinking deepens—children begin to see how operations relate to each other and recognize that the order in which you solve matters. Mastering mixed operations builds the foundation for algebraic thinking in upper grades and mirrors how math shows up in everyday life: calculating change at a store involves both subtraction and addition, while figuring out snacks for a party requires multiplication and subtraction together. At ages 8-9, students' brains are developing stronger working memory and attention span, making this the ideal window to teach them to slow down, identify each operation, and solve strategically rather than left-to-right. This skill transforms math from a series of separate tricks into a coherent system.

What your student will practice

• Identify which operation to perform first in mixed-operation expressions
• Apply order of operations (multiplication and division before addition and subtraction)
• Solve two-step and three-step expressions with accuracy and confidence
• Explain their reasoning for the order in which they solved each step

Common mistakes to watch for

The most common error is solving left-to-right without considering order of operations—for example, solving 2 + 3 × 4 as (2 + 3) × 4 = 20 instead of 2 + (3 × 4) = 14. Watch for students who rush and skip steps, or who forget to rewrite the expression after each operation. Another frequent mistake is treating subtraction and division carelessly when they appear later in the expression, sometimes dropping those operations entirely. Ask your student to say aloud which operation they're doing first and why—this verbal step reveals whether they truly understand or are guessing.