3rd grade bar & line plots worksheets
Bar graph and line plot worksheets for third grade scale up: bars jump by fives, so reading the axis matters more than counting. Questions ask for one value, a comparison between categories, or the total across the graph.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 3.MD.B.3, 3.MD.B.4.
Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.
Need one more? These are the skills next door at this grade.
The kind of problems you'll get
Read each display and answer every question.
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A bar reaches 6 on a scale that counts by twos. What value does it show?
Answer: 6
Most problems on this sheet sit beside a picture, model or diagram, so this is the worked example the sheet itself prints. The answer key on page two prints the answer under every problem.
Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.
What's on a 3rd grade sheet
The sample sheet above has 8 problems. Its answers run from 1 to 11. On the 2nd grade sample they run from 1 to 10. This sheet is aligned to 3.MD.B.3, 3.MD.B.4. The 2nd grade sheet is aligned to 2.MD.D.10, 2.MD.D.9. This grade also prints making line plots and reading line plots, which 2nd grade does not.
- Bar and line plots. Read each display and answer every question. 8 problems per page.
- Making line plots. Use the data to complete each line plot. Draw one dot for each measurement. 4 problems per page.
- Reading line plots. Read each display and answer every question. 6 problems per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.
How to teach this
Ask "what does one step on the scale count for?" before the first question. On these sheets it's usually five, so a bar three gridlines tall means fifteen, not three. When a question says "in all," have your child mark each bar as it's added so nothing gets counted twice.
Watch for: Kids count the bars or categories instead of reading each bar's value on the scale. Three bars doesn't mean the answer is 3. On "how many more" questions, kids add the two amounts instead of subtracting. More means the gap between the bars, not the total.
Common questions about 3rd grade bar & line plots
- Why do the bars count by fives?
- Scaled graphs are the third grade step. Reading a bar as three gridlines meaning fifteen is exactly the skill these sheets practice.
- Does my child need to draw anything?
- No. Every graph is printed on the sheet. The work is reading it: one value, a comparison, or a total, with a writing line for the answer.
Related worksheets
- 2nd grade bar & line plots A step easier, same skill
- 3rd grade pictographs Same grade, nearby skill
- 3rd grade making line plots A version of this sheet, on its own page
- 3rd grade reading line plots A version of this sheet, on its own page
- Bar & line plots, all grades The full progression
- All 3rd grade math worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 3rd grade worksheets Everything at this level
- Printable graph paper Reference chart · 3rd grade to 8th grade
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Aligned to Common Core 3.MD.B.3, 3.MD.B.4. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 240, updated September 2026.
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