Math through play · Ages 5 to 7
Missing number games: fun missing-addend puzzles for kindergarten and first grade
Quick answer
Missing-number games give children a sum with a gap, like 2 + ? = 5, and ask what goes in the box. Start with real objects: show five blocks, hide some under a cup, and ask how many are hiding. This is early algebra, and it builds a strong sense of how numbers fit together.
Once a child can add, a delightful puzzle opens up: what if the answer is known, but one of the numbers is missing? Missing-number games turn sums into little mysteries, and they quietly teach children how addition and subtraction fit together.
What do missing-number problems look like?
| Type | Example | How to think about it |
|---|---|---|
| Missing second number | 3 + ? = 5 | "Start at 3, count up to 5" |
| Missing first number | ? + 2 = 6 | "What plus 2 makes 6?" |
| Missing in take-away | 7 − ? = 4 | "How many did I take away?" |
| Missing start | ? − 1 = 3 | "What did I have before I took one away?" |
The first row is the easiest place to begin.
Which missing-number games need no screen?
- How many are hiding? Show your child six blocks. While they close their eyes, hide some under a cup. Count the ones still showing. How many are under the cup?
- Make ten. Hold up some fingers. How many more do you need to make ten? Then try "make five".
- Number bonds. Draw a circle with 5 at the top and two empty circles below it. Fill one in with 2. What goes in the other?
- Cookie jar mystery. "There were some cookies in the jar. I ate one, and now there are three. How many were there before?"
- Domino cover-up. Tell your child a domino has 6 dots in all. Cover one side and show the other. How many are hidden?
How does Missing Number in SillyCam work?
- Missing Number floats a sum with a gap above your child's head:
2 + ? = 5, or? − 1 = 3. The gap can be any number in the sum, not just the answer, so your child has to think about what the sum is saying.
- Right answer: the number drops into the gap, the bulb glows and Dandelion or Sprout pops in to cheer.
- Wrong answer: the wrong number wobbles in the gap and puzzled question marks pop up.
- After two misses: counting dots appear under the numbers that are shown, with an empty dotted box under the gap, so your child can count up to find what fills it.
How do I help when my child is stuck?
- Go back to objects. "How many are hiding?" with real blocks makes the gap something you can lift up and check.
- Count up. For 4 + ? = 7, start at 4 and count up to 7 on fingers. The fingers you used are the answer.
- Check by putting it back. Once your child finds the number, put it in the sum and read it aloud together. Does it work?
Try it tonight
- Show your child eight coins, then cover some with your hand.
- "Five are showing. How many are under my hand?"
- Let them guess, then lift your hand and count to check.
- Swap: your child hides, you guess, and your child checks your answer.
Questions parents ask
What is a missing addend?
It is the unknown part of an addition sum, like the box in 3 + ? = 7. Finding it means asking 'what do I add to 3 to make 7?'
When do children learn missing-number problems?
Children often meet them in late kindergarten through hands-on 'how many are hiding?' games, and more formally in first grade, when they find the unknown number in an addition or subtraction sum.
How do I help my child solve 4 + ? = 6?
Start at 4 and count up to 6 on fingers: five, six. The number of fingers you put up, two, is the answer. Using blocks you can see and hide works even better at first.
Is this really algebra?
In a simple form, yes. Working out an unknown number from what you know is the same idea algebra builds on later, just with small numbers and real things.
Free printable for grown-ups
Silly Math Games: a printable activity pack
Six pages of counting, adding, take-away and pattern puzzles with Dandelion and Sprout, one for each SillyCam math game. Print them for the kitchen table, a car trip or a rainy afternoon. No screen needed.