Once your students are able to identify numbers, they’re ready to build further confidence by working with number sequences. These, in their simplest form, involving counting forwards and backwards by 1s.

With our set of 12 task cards, students will be required to complete the number sequences by identifying the missing numbers.

How to use this resource

Print the task cards on thick card and laminate them for added durability and longevity.

These task cards are perfect for small group numeracy rotations. You might like to follow this process when working with this resource:

• Provide each student in the group with a task card, a whiteboard marker and an eraser. Alternatively, the whole group could work together on the same card.
• Ask the student to look closely at the numbers on the card, and to identify the missing spaces. Ask guiding questions, such as:
  • What is one more than that number?
  • What is one less than that number?
  • What number goes between those two numbers?
• Have the students fill in the gaps on their task card. Encourage the students to read the completed number sequence aloud and have the rest of the group check that it makes sense.
• Provide the students with a new task card and repeat the activity.

Need to differentiate? Here’s how you might go about it…

Why not support those students who need additional help by providing them with a hundreds chart to refer to while completing the activity. It might also be wise the provide these students with task cards depicting smaller numbers before progressing to larger numbers.

Encourage students who can capably complete this activity to create their own number sequences with missing numbers for a partner to solve.

This resource was created by Heather Chambers, a Teach Starter collaborator.