6th grade absolute value worksheets
Absolute value worksheets give sixth graders two problem types: evaluate expressions like |-8|, and compare two absolute values with <, >, or =. The idea being tested is distance from zero: a number can be less than another yet farther from zero.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 6.NS.C.7.c, 6.NS.C.7.d.
A new sheet every click.
The kind of problems you'll get
Evaluate or compare. Absolute value is distance from zero.
-
|-8| =
Answer: 8
- Write <, >, or =.
- |-15| =
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 each sheet
- Fluency. Evaluate or compare. Absolute value is distance from zero. 18 questions per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Define it as a walk: start at the number, count steps back to zero, and that count is the absolute value. Ask the two questions side by side: "which is less, -9 or 4?" then "which is farther from zero?" Keep asking until your child hears them as different questions. Debt makes it concrete: owing 9 dollars is a bigger amount than having 4, even though -9 < 4.
Watch for: Kids read the bars as 'flip the sign.' The real meaning is distance from zero, which is why |5| stays 5 and no absolute value is ever negative. Kids think -9 must have the smaller absolute value because -9 is less than 4. Order and distance are different questions, and -9 is farther from zero.
Common questions about absolute value
- Can an absolute value ever be negative?
- No. It measures distance from zero, and distance can't be negative. The smallest possible absolute value is 0, for the number 0 itself.
- Why does my child get |-9| ○ |4| wrong when they can compare -9 and 4 fine?
- Because the bars quietly change the question from order to distance, and kids answer the one they expected. Have them evaluate both sides first (9 and 4) and the comparison becomes easy.
Related worksheets
- 6th grade combining like terms Same grade, nearby skill
- 6th grade comparing & ordering integers Same grade, nearby skill
- 6th grade evaluating expressions Same grade, nearby skill
- Absolute value, all grades The full progression
- All 6th grade math worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 6th grade worksheets Everything at this level
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Aligned to Common Core 6.NS.C.7.c, 6.NS.C.7.d. Reviewed by the One more sheet curriculum team. Content version 123, updated July 2026.