Find how many are missing

💡 How it plays and why it helps

Setting out plates for seven when three are already on the table is a real counting problem. Find how many are missing is the Pre-K version. Each round shows five pictures, such as 3 carrots when we need 7, or 6 butterflies when we need 10. The instruction is read aloud, and your child taps how many are missing among four numbers. Every answer is checked and explained: from 3 to 7, 4 are missing.

Finding the missing part is an early form of subtraction, done by counting up rather than taking away. The hint describes the method: count what you see, then keep counting on your fingers up to the target. The fingers raised during that second count are the answer, always between 1 and 4.

The likely mistake is tapping one of the two numbers your child already knows: the target, 7, or the amount shown, 3. Both are among the choices. Ask, "How many more until we reach seven?" Then count up together, raising a finger each time. Praise the counting up: "You counted on and kept the extra fingers."