What's Missing? Game Printables
Updated October 2026 · 8 free printables
The what's missing game on paper: each puzzle shows a row of pictures, then the same row with one picture gone. Kids compare the rows, say what disappeared and draw it in the dashed box. Eight themed pages: fruit, toys, farm, sea animals, garden bugs, sweet treats, outer space and things that go.
Pre-K pages use four pictures and one missing; kindergarten pages five pictures; grade 1 pages six pictures with two missing and the order mixed up, which turns it into a real memory test. Every PDF has an answer key on page 2.
All 8 What's Missing? Game Printables, One by One
Here is a closer look at every page in this collection, with who it's best for and a coloring idea for each one.
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1. What's Missing? Fruit
Four what's-missing memory puzzles with fruit pictures (apple, banana, pear and cherries and more). Each puzzle shows a row of 4 pictures, then the same row with one picture gone. Kids spot what disappeared and draw it in the box; the answer key is on page 2. It is made for pre-K and preschool, roughly ages 4 to 5, with big pictures and one number per page.
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2. What's Missing? Toys
Four what's-missing memory puzzles with toys pictures (beachball, bear, block and racecar and more). Each puzzle shows a row of 4 pictures, then the same row with one picture gone. Kids spot what disappeared and draw it in the box; the answer key is on page 2. Little ones can do most of it with crayons, and a grown-up can read the short questions aloud.
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3. What's Missing? Farm
Four what's-missing memory puzzles with farm pictures (pig, cow, sheep and hen and more). Each puzzle shows a row of 4 pictures, then the same row with one picture gone. Kids spot what disappeared and draw it in the box; the answer key is on page 2. It is made for pre-K and preschool, roughly ages 4 to 5, with big pictures and one number per page.
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4. What's Missing? Sea Animals
Four what's-missing memory puzzles with sea animals pictures (fish, crab, starfish and octopus and more). Each puzzle shows a row of 5 pictures, then the same row with one picture gone. Kids spot what disappeared and draw it in the box; the answer key is on page 2. It suits ages 4 to 6, and little ones can count the pictures with a finger.
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5. What's Missing? Garden Bugs
Four what's-missing memory puzzles with garden bugs pictures (ladybug, bee, butterfly and snail and more). Each puzzle shows a row of 5 pictures, then the same row with one picture gone. Kids spot what disappeared and draw it in the box; the answer key is on page 2. It suits ages 4 to 6, and little ones can count the pictures with a finger.
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6. What's Missing? Sweet Treats
Four what's-missing memory puzzles with sweet treats pictures (cupcake, donut, icecream and cookie and more). Each puzzle shows a row of 5 pictures, then the same row with one picture gone, in a mixed-up order. Kids spot what disappeared and draw it in the box; the answer key is on page 2. Big pictures and only a few tasks per page make it a gentle start for kindergartners.
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7. What's Missing? Outer Space
Four what's-missing memory puzzles with outer space pictures (star, planet, rocket and moon and more). Each puzzle shows a row of 6 pictures, then the same row with two pictures gone, in a mixed-up order. Kids spot what disappeared and draw it in the box; the answer key is on page 2. It matches first grade goals, roughly ages 6 to 7.
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8. What's Missing? Things That Go
Four what's-missing memory puzzles with things that go pictures (car, bus, sailboat and airplane and more). Each puzzle shows a row of 6 pictures, then the same row with two pictures gone, in a mixed-up order. Kids spot what disappeared and draw it in the box; the answer key is on page 2. It matches first grade goals, roughly ages 6 to 7.
Tips for coloring What's Missing? Game Printables
- Say the pictures out loud in the top row before covering it; naming helps remembering.
- Cover the top row with your hand after ten seconds to make it a true memory game.
- Let the child draw the missing picture back, even roughly, before checking the key.
Fun facts about What's Missing? Game Printables
- Working memory, which this game trains, usually holds about four items in young children.
- Naming what you see moves it from visual memory into verbal memory, where it lasts longer.
- Teachers use what's missing games to practice new vocabulary in any language.
Fun ways to use your printables
- Play it with real objects on a tray: look, close eyes, one disappears.
- Make it harder on the whiteboard: erase two things, or move one as well as erasing one.
- Swap roles so the child draws the row and erases while you guess.
How to print
Click Download PDF on any page and print it at 100% on US Letter or A4 paper. Use regular printer paper for crayons and pencils, or cardstock for markers and paint. Every page here is free for home, classroom and party use, so feel free to print as many copies as you need.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play what's missing on a whiteboard?
Draw four or five simple things on the board. Your child looks for ten seconds, closes their eyes, and you erase one. They open their eyes and say what's missing, then draw it back. Swap roles.
What skills does it build?
Visual memory, attention to detail and vocabulary: naming the pictures out loud is half the fun. Drawing the missing one back adds a little fine-motor practice.
Why are some rows mixed up?
On the grade 1 pages the remaining pictures are shuffled, so kids can't just scan position by position. They have to remember the whole set.
Where are the answers?
Page 2 of each PDF shows the missing pictures in the red dashed boxes.