Find the Missing Number — Camping Gear — Grade 1

The unknown here is the amount removed, not the answer. A group of tents, torches and a backpack is pictured, the number left is written, and the child finds how many were taken away to get there. That is change-unknown subtraction — a step beyond plain take-away, because the child reasons about the missing middle. Kept within twenty, it leans on counting up and on knowing which take-away makes the result, and the pictured camping gear keep that reasoning anchored to something a child can count.

Working a subtraction backward — from result to the part that left — is how a child first sees that the same three numbers can be arranged more than one way. It is the seed of fact families, a Grade 1 idea, and finding the missing part with within-twenty camping gear keeps that seed planted in counting the child can actually do.

Children who like camping gear take to the puzzle of working backward, and it suits a child ready for a little more than plain take-away. When this feels easy, try find the missing number with christmas, or find the missing number with forest creatures. You can also browse every subtraction worksheet or the whole camping gear collection for grade 1 — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.