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Missing Digit Puzzles: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 4
- ForYear 4
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Missing Digit Puzzles is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9). Children look at a sum with one digit hidden and work out what it must be. They use place value, adding, taking away and number facts, and they check each answer by doing the whole sum. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and the answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
The sheet has numbered questions, each with a space to write the answer. Every question is a sum with one digit replaced by a question mark. Some sums have two digit numbers and some have three digit numbers. Most are adding or taking away, and there is a multiplication too. Children decide which column to look at first, find the hidden digit, then put it back in and check the whole sum.
- 3? + 24 = 58
- ?5 + 32 = 87
- 4?6 + 123 = 579
- ?8 - 31 = 47
- 6? - 25 = 38
- 5?2 - 210 = 302
- ?47 + 215 = 662
- 7? × 2 = 146
A worked example
?6 + 23 = 79
This is a different question from the sheet. It shows two ways to find a missing digit.
Method 1: column by column- Look at the ones column first. 6 + 3 = 9. This matches the 9 in the answer, so no ones need to move.
- Now look at the tens column. Something + 2 tens makes 7 tens.
- 7 tens take away 2 tens leaves 5 tens, so the missing digit is 5.
- Check the whole sum: 56 + 23 = 79.
- The sum says a number plus 23 makes 79.
- To find that number, take 23 away from 79.
- 79 take away 23 is 56.
- The number is 56, so the missing digit is 5.
Why missing digit puzzles help
In our number system, the place a digit sits tells us its value. In 482, the 4 means four hundreds, the 8 means eight tens and the 2 means two ones. Missing digit puzzles ask children to think about each place on its own. That makes them look inside a number instead of treating it as one block.
Most children first meet sums as a question with an answer to find. Here the answer is already there and a part is hidden. Children have to reason backwards, work out which operation helps and test their idea. That kind of thinking is a strong base for algebra later, and it makes checking a habit.
Skills and curriculum link
- Place value
- Adding
- Taking away
- Reasoning
- Checking answers
This sheet supports the area below. It is matched to the published England framework. Please check it against your own school plan.
| Framework | Subject or area | Strand | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Curriculum (England) | Maths | Number and place value | Year 4 |
| National Curriculum (England) | Maths | Addition and subtraction | Year 4 |
What children will be able to do
- I can use place value to work out a missing digit.
- I can use number facts to check a sum.
- I can explain how I found the missing digit.
Ideas that help with missing digits
- Start with the onesEach column can be looked at on its own. The ones column often gives the quickest clue.
- Use the opposite operationAdding and taking away undo each other. If a sum is hard to see, turn it around.
- Watch for exchangingWhen the ones add to more than 9, a ten moves into the tens column. Remember it when you work on the next column.
- Test your digitPut your digit back into the sum and work it all out. If both sides match, the digit is right.
Key words
- DigitOne of the symbols 0 to 9 used to write numbers. The number 305 has three digits.
- Place valueThe value a digit has because of where it sits in a number.
- Ones, tens, hundredsThe columns in a number. Each column is worth ten times the one to its right.
- ColumnA line of digits with the same place value, one above the other.
- Opposite operationA calculation that undoes another one. Taking away undoes adding.
- ExchangeMoving ten from one column into one of the next column, or the other way round.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read the first sum together. Point to the question mark and ask which column it is in.
- Start with the ones column, then move to the tens. Let your child say their thinking out loud.
- Put the digit back in and do the whole sum to check it. Then look at page 2 together.
- Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Use place value counters or squared paper to line the digits up in columns. Write one digit in each square so the ones sit under the ones. Try the sums with two digit numbers first, then come back to the longer ones.
To stretch confident children
Write your own missing digit sum. Start with a full sum, cover one digit and ask someone to solve it. Then try hiding two digits in the same sum and see if there is still only one answer.
Make it a game
Cover one digit in a sum from a book, a shopping receipt or a page you have written. Challenge a family member to find the hidden digit. Take turns being the one who hides it. Score a point for each correct answer.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child guesses digits at random and keeps changing them.
Try thisSlow down and look at one column. Ask, "What do we know about the ones?" Work out that column first, then move on.
Watch forA child forgets the ten that moves across when the ones add to more than 9.
Try thisUse counters. Show ten ones swapping for one ten, and move it to the tens column before looking at the tens.
Watch forA child finds a digit but never checks it.
Try thisMake checking part of every question. Write the digit in, do the whole sum and see if both sides match.
Talk about it
- Which column did you look at first, and why?
- How did you know which digit was missing?
- Could you have used a different way to find it?
- What happens in the tens column if the ones add up to more than 9?
- How can you check that your answer is right?
- Can you make up a missing digit sum that is tricky for me?
Take it off the page
Digit cards
Write the digits 0 to 9 on small pieces of paper. Build a sum, hide one card with your hand and ask someone to find it.
Coin place value
Use 10p and 1p coins to show a two digit number. Take one coin group away and ask what is missing to reach a total.
Sticky note detective
Stick a note over one digit in a number from a book or magazine. Make a short sum with it and ask a family member to work out the hidden digit.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first few sums, then let them lead. Short sessions work well. Ask how they know, not only what the answer is, and praise careful thinking.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task, homework or a table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 has support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider maths plan and pair it with everyday number talk. The sheet is free, so you can print it again for brothers and sisters or for revision a few weeks later.
Where this fits
Before this sheet, children learn how digits sit in columns, and how to add and take away two and three digit numbers. They need to be comfortable with ones, tens and hundreds, and know when a ten moves between columns.
After this, children work with larger numbers and meet missing number problems across all four operations. The habit of working column by column, using the opposite operation and checking the answer carries on into those problems.
Check it worked
Ask these when the sheet is finished. Listen for the reasoning, not just the answer.
- How did you know which digit was missing?
- Which column did you start with, and why?
- How can you check your answer is right?
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Missing Digit Puzzles for?
It is written for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9), in Key Stage 2. Children in nearby years may enjoy it too, as it can be made easier with counters or harder by writing extra puzzles.
- What will children practise?
They practise place value, adding and taking away. They use number facts and column thinking to find the hidden digit in each sum, and they check by doing the whole sum.
- How do I use it?
Print both pages. Give page 1 to your child and keep page 2. Start with the ones column, then move to the tens. Put the digit back and check the whole sum.
- What if it feels too hard?
Use place value counters or squared paper to line the digits up in columns. Do the first few together and talk through each choice. Come back to the harder sums another day.
- Is it free, and do I need colour?
Yes, it is free to print for home and classroom use. No colour is needed. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. It works as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has help and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
- How long does it take?
There is no set time. Let your child work at their own pace and stop whenever they need a break. They can finish the sheet on another day and repeat it later for extra confidence.
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Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.