Skip Counting

For Elementary Students

What is Skip Counting?

Instead of counting one by one (1, 2, 3, 4, 5...), you can skip over numbers and jump by a certain amount.

Think about it like this: If you have pairs of shoes, you don't need to count each shoe. You can count by twos: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10!

Counting by 2s

Start at 0 or 2, and add 2 each time:

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20

This is useful when counting things that come in pairs:

• Shoes (2 per pair)
• Eyes (2 per person)
• Wheels on a bicycle (2 wheels)

Counting by 5s

Start at 0 or 5, and add 5 each time:

5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50

This helps when counting:

• Fingers on one hand (5 fingers)
• Nickels (each nickel = 5 cents)
• Groups of 5 pencils

Counting by 10s

Start at 0 or 10, and add 10 each time:

10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100

This is the fastest way to count! Useful for:

• Dimes (each dime = 10 cents)
• Fingers on both hands (10 fingers)
• Boxes of 10 crayons

Why Skip Counting Helps

Skip counting makes counting faster and prepares you for multiplication later. When you skip count by 5s four times (5, 10, 15, 20), you've just solved 5 × 4 = 20!

For Junior High Students

Skip Counting as Multiplication

When you skip count, you're actually using multiplication without realizing it.

If you count by 3s six times: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18

You've just calculated 3 × 6 = 18.

Patterns in Skip Counting

Look for patterns:

Counting by 2s — All numbers are even (ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8)

Counting by 5s — All numbers end in 0 or 5

Counting by 10s — All numbers end in 0

These patterns can help you check if you skipped correctly!

Using Skip Counting in Real Life

• Shopping: If apples cost $2 each, how much for 7 apples? Count by 2s seven times.
• Time: Minutes on a clock — count by 5s to read the minute hand.
• Money: Counting groups of coins quickly.

Practice