Counting Backward Within 120 Worksheets for 1st Grade

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Grade 1MathCounting & Number SenseCCSS 1.NBT.A.1

Skill: Counting back by ones from numbers up to 120

Preview of the Counting Backward Within 120 printable worksheet
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Teaching tips and what to try next

A natural follow-on for children who are confident with Counting Backward Within 20 and now need bigger numbers. Counting down out loud while taking one block off a tower at a time keeps the rhythm steady. Watch the rows that pass a ten, such as 61 to 59, because that is where most slips happen, and pair the sheet with Missing Numbers to 120 for extra support.

10 versions, each with its own answer key

Same skill and layout, a fresh set of problems in every version, so children can keep practicing without repeating a page. Problems are not repeated between versions unless a skill has only a small number of possible problems (for example, the addition facts within 10).

Download all 10 versions (one PDF)All 10 answer keys (PDF)

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About this worksheet

Counting backward is harder than counting forward, and it is a skill children use every time they subtract by counting back. First graders count to 120 from any number, and practicing the count in reverse helps them see how the ones digit goes down and how the tens change. This first-grade worksheet gives ten rows of counting backward within 120.

Each row has six boxes that count back by ones. The first number is always shown, and it is somewhere from 25 to 120, so every number on the page is 20 or more. Two of the other boxes are empty, and children write the missing numbers. Many rows cross a ten, such as 52, 51, 50, 49, and some count down past 100, such as 103, 102, 101, 100, 99. Those are the places where children often slip, so they get extra practice there. Each of the ten versions has a new mix of rows and its own answer key.

How to use it: before starting, count down together from 30 to 20 like a rocket launch. Point out that the ones digit goes down by one each time until it reaches 0, and then the tens digit goes down by one and the ones start again at 9. If your child gets stuck on a row, have them point to each box and say the numbers out loud, starting with the first box.

The answer key shows every missing number. For a shorter warm-up, try our Counting Backward Within 20 worksheet. To count forward again, try our Missing Numbers to 120 worksheet.