Before and After Numbers Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet builds number-sequencing skills for children ages 4-5 by asking them to identify which number comes immediately before and after a given number, along with counting and matching exercises. Understanding 'before' and 'after' requires children to hold a mental number line in their head and reason about relative position, a more abstract skill than simple counting or number recognition. This kind of sequencing practice is foundational for later addition and subtraction, where children need to move fluently forward and backward through numbers.
Curriculum
How to use this worksheet
Look at the example together first, pointing out how the number before is one less and the number after is one more than the given number. Go through each item, saying the given number aloud and asking your child to figure out what comes right before it and right after it, then write both numbers in the blanks. For the counting and matching sections, have your child count the objects shown aloud, one at a time, and match the total to the correct number. Review all the answers together at the end, counting up from each 'before' number to check it makes sense.
Materials needed
- Pencil
- Crayons
Extension activities
- •Use a number line or number chart and have your child point to a number, then slide their finger to find what comes before and after.
- •Play a quick oral game: say a number and have your child immediately say the number before and after it.
- •Count a set of household objects together, then ask what number would come next if you added one more.
- •Use building blocks or counters to physically represent a number, then add or remove one to show 'before' and 'after'.
- •Practice with a deck of number cards, laying out three in a row and asking your child to find the missing middle number.
Tips for parents and teachers
Confusing 'before' and 'after' is common at this age, so if your child gets them backward, use a number line as a visual anchor and physically point left for 'before' and right for 'after' each time. Counting on fingers or with objects alongside the abstract number work helps many children bridge from concrete counting to number reasoning. Keep the pace patient, since this skill typically takes more repeated practice than straightforward counting does.
Written by
Hemsweta Jain · Teacher Cheena
MBA and Early Childhood Educator, teaching since 2014 · Founder of RaisoActive, Mumbai
Every RaisoActive worksheet is designed and checked by the founder before publishing.
Published · Last reviewed
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