Understanding how addition and subtraction work together as inverse operations is a key part of Year 3 number sense. When students can recognise that subtraction can undo addition and vice versa, they are better equipped to partition numbers, solve for unknown values and explain their mathematical thinking.

This find-the-missing-number addition and subtraction worksheet pack has been designed to explicitly teach this connection through structured, visual and engaging activities. Across five carefully sequenced worksheets, students practise finding missing numbers using inverse operations while building fluency with fact families, bar models and word problems.

The pack includes:

• A subtraction maze where students rewrite subtraction equations as addition to find missing values.
• A fact family worksheet to reinforce the relationship between addition and subtraction.
• Two bar model practice worksheets that support part–whole reasoning and unknown values.
• Word problems that require students to apply inverse operations and explain their reasoning.

By working through a mix of visual models, number sentences and real‑world contexts, students deepen their conceptual understanding while strengthening problem‑solving confidence. Answer keys are included to support quick marking and consistent feedback.

Teaching Missing Addends with Confidence and Creativity

This resource is ideal for teaching missing addends and can be used flexibly throughout your maths block or across multiple lessons. Beyond traditional worksheet use, these activities lend themselves to creative and engaging classroom applications such as:

• Maths warm‑ups: Project a bar model or missing number equation and solve it together using think‑aloud strategies.
• Maths rotations: Place different worksheets at stations so students practise inverse operations in varied ways.
• Number talks: Use the fact family tasks to prompt discussion about how students know which operation to use.

Each activity encourages explanation and reasoning, helping students move beyond answers to clearly articulate how they know.

Missing Number Addition and Subtraction Year 3 — Easy to Download and Use

This missing number addition and subtraction Year 3 resource is available in two convenient formats to suit your classroom needs. Download a ready‑to‑print PDF for immediate use or choose the editable Google Slides version to customise numbers, scaffold prompts or differentiate tasks.

Simply click download to access the files. Please note that when opening the Google Slides version, you will be prompted to make your own copy before editing.

Lisamarie Del Valle, a Teach Starter collaborator, contributed to this resource.

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