Find the Missing Number — Classroom Objects — Grade 1

"Some pencils, books and a globe were here, this many are left — how many went away?" That is every row of this sheet. The child finds the missing part by counting up from what remains to the starting group, or by recalling the take-away that fits. Working subtraction from the result backward is the Grade 1 step this practises, with the amounts held within twenty so a child can always count to be sure — the pictured classroom objects make that check quick and concrete.

Change-unknown subtraction is harder than plain take-away precisely because the answer is the move, not the result — and that extra reasoning is the Grade 1 point. Keeping the numbers within twenty lets a child meet that challenge with strategies they have, counting up from the classroom objects that remain to the group they started with.

Children who like classroom objects 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 clothes, or find the missing number with furniture. You can also browse every subtraction worksheet or the whole classroom objects collection for grade 1 — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.