Find the Missing Numbers Number Trails Worksheet

Kids often know the counting song before they feel steady with the number shapes on a page. This kindergarten worksheet gives four short number trails, each with two missing numbers to fill in. The trails use numbers from 1 to 9, so the work stays small enough for a five-year-old to talk through with you.

Each row asks your child to look at the printed numbers, say them in order, and write the numerals that belong in the blanks. The page also includes simple addition and subtraction number sentences with one missing part, such as finding the number that makes 4 and 2 equal 6, or the number taken away from 7 to leave 5. That keeps the focus on counting forward, counting back, and making sense of what a missing number means.

Sit nearby for the first trail and model the thinking out loud. You might say, “I see 4, then a blank. Let’s count 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.” If writing slows things down, let your child point to the blank and say the answer before picking up the pencil. For the subtraction sentences, fingers, small counters, or quick dots on scrap paper can make the taking-away idea easier to see.

When the trails feel comfortable, a good next step is matching spoken number names to written numerals with the Number Words to Numerals Worksheet. If your child is ready to look beyond single-digit counting, the Tens and Ones Number Cards Worksheet gives a gentle next place-value activity using number cards.