Find the Missing Part — Animals — Kindergarten

On each row of this kindergarten worksheet a first group of animals is shown together with the total for the whole row, but the second group is an empty box. Children count the animals they can see, look at the total, and work out how many more belong in the box. Because both the part and the whole are pictured, a child can find the answer by counting up from what is there to the total, rather than by recalling a fact they have not learned yet.

Finding the part that is missing is how kindergartners first meet decomposition — the idea that a number like seven is made of smaller parts hiding inside it, such as five and two. It is the same thinking behind making ten, and it quietly prepares the ground for seeing how addition and subtraction fit together later on.

It is a gentle step up from straight counting, good for a small group who are ready for a little more thinking. When this feels easy, combine two full groups in addition with animals, or take some away in subtraction with animals. You can also browse every addition worksheet or the whole animals collection for kindergarten. Each one prints for paper work or plays online with gentle, instant feedback.