Find the rule worksheets

Filling in a missing number can be done by feel. Writing down the rule cannot. These free printable worksheets print every number in the pattern and ask what it adds or subtracts each time.

Find the rule
Find the rule worksheet — Steps up or down, 2 to 100, free printable with answer key

The answer key prints on a separate page.

What's on this sheet

Nothing is missing from these patterns, so the question is entirely about the rule. A child looks at 130, 140, 150 and has to say what is happening, in place of carrying on with something they have already noticed. It is a small change, and it is the step that turns pattern spotting into something that can be described and checked.

Why this sheet works

The steps run from 2 to 12 and then 20, 25, 50 and 100, and patterns go down as well as up. The rule line already says add or subtract, so the number is what the child supplies. Reading that word first is a useful check: if it says subtract, the numbers had better be shrinking.