Patterns and missing numbers
Grade 5 · Math
Explore numbers, spot patterns and explain how you worked it out.
Choose a game
Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Linear number sequences
Spot the rule in sequences that count on or back, including negative numbers and decimals.
Play Linear number sequences
Learning about patterns and missing numbers
These Grade 5 Math games practice Linear number sequences. Choose a game above for a short activity, or explore the examples below before you play. The full guide for each game explains its controls, gives more examples and includes a free printable for practice away from the screen.
Talk it through
Use counters, a drawing or a number line before moving to a mental method. Ask your child to explain a choice, then change one number and try the method again.
Ask: “How could you show the same answer another way?” Give your child time to explain. Return to an example after playing and ask whether they would approach it differently.
Linear number sequences
In this game children find the rule for sequences and sort them into groups. Some sequences count back past zero into negative numbers, and some go up in decimals or in steps of 25, so children need to look closely at the difference between each pair of terms.
Try an example: What is the rule for 1, 5, 9, 13, …?
5 − 1 = 4, 9 − 5 = 4.
Show the answer
add 4
What to look out for
Thinking a sequence that goes below zero has stopped working. Use a number line: from 1, subtract 3 to land on −2.
Practice away from the screen
- Count in 25s like coins in a money box: 25, 50, 75, 100.
Curriculum connections
Linear number sequences
Supports part of Common Core 5.OA.B.3: generating patterns from a rule. Sequences that cross zero go beyond Grade 5.
Common Core connection: 5.OA.B.3. This is focused practice for part of the standard.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with patterns and missing numbers?
Start with Linear number sequences. Look at the worked example together, then try a round. If the task feels unfamiliar, use the full game guide or its free printable before trying again.
Does this cover everything taught at this level?
No. These games provide focused practice. Grade suggestions do not replace your school’s curriculum, and any Common Core connection applies only to the skill described.