Before and After Numbers Worksheet for Preschoolers

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

• 1Use 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.
• 2Play a quick oral game: say a number and have your child immediately say the number before and after it.
• 3Count a set of household objects together, then ask what number would come next if you added one more.
• 4Use building blocks or counters to physically represent a number, then add or remove one to show 'before' and 'after'.
• 5Practice with a deck of number cards, laying out three in a row and asking your child to find the missing middle number.