Missing addends worksheets

By grade

• 1st Grade Right on level
• 2nd Grade A step harder

What students need to know

Find the number that makes the equation true. Count up from the part you already know.

This skill runs from 1st grade through 2nd grade. Pick a grade above for level-matched sentences, teaching notes, and worksheets.

Missing addends across the grades

1st grade

Missing-addend problems like 4 + ___ = 9 teach 1st graders that an equation is a question about a missing part. Your child counts up from the known number to find what fits, the same thinking that makes subtraction click.

2nd grade

Second graders use missing addends to move from computing answers to reasoning about them. Working backward from the total (what plus 3 makes 8) is the step that separates memorized facts from real number sense.