Find the Missing Number — Musical Instruments — Grade 1

On each row of this Grade 1 worksheet a group of drums, bells and a flute is shown, some are taken away, and the number left is given — the child works out how many went away. It is the missing-number side of subtraction: instead of being told what to take, the child sees the start and the result and finds the part in between. Counting up from what's left to the starting group is the natural way in, all kept within twenty, and the pictured instruments mean a child can always check the missing number by counting rather than guessing it.

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 instruments that remain to the group they started with.

Children who like musical instruments 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 community helpers, or find the missing number with space. You can also browse every subtraction worksheet or the whole instruments collection for grade 1 — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.