Early MathBefore, after, and between for numbers up to 20
Name: Date:
114
21
335
416
51416
63
Before, after, and between worksheets
Knowing which number comes next is what turns counting into real number sense. These free printable worksheets give a number up to twenty with a blank before it, after it, or between two numbers, and ask a child to fill the missing neighbor.
Kid stuck on one? You don’t just get the sheet.
Before, after, and between
The answer key prints on a separate page.
What's on this sheet
Each question leaves one spot empty — the number before, the number after, or the one that fits between two — and the child writes it in. The three kinds are mixed evenly so a child reads each question before answering rather than repeating one move, and every number stays at twenty or below.
Why this sheet works
This is an early skill, so the page stays short — a handful of questions is enough focused practice for a young child.
How this one works
One question from this sheet, worked through a step at a time.
14 ?
14?
14+ 1
1415
- Counting forwards goes UP by one and backwards goes DOWN by one — so the only question is which way this gap is.
- The gap is AFTER 14, so it is one more: 14 + 1.
- 14 + 1 = 15. Same ten, so only the last digit moves.