How to teach skip counting

Kindergarten to Grade 3

Skip counting is counting in steps , 2, 4, 6, 8 or 5, 10, 15, 20 , instead of by ones. It builds number sense and patterns, and it is the direct runway to multiplication: counting in 3s IS the three times table.

How to teach it

1. Start with 2s, 5s and 10s , the easiest patterns and the most useful.
2. Count out loud together, then on a number line or hundred square so the jumps are visible.
3. Point out the pattern in the ones digit (5s end in 5 or 0; 2s are all even).
4. Explicitly connect it to multiplication once secure: 'four jumps of 5 is 20, that's 4 × 5'.
5. Practise starting from different points and counting backwards too.

Common mistakes

• Memorising the chant without seeing the jumps, so it doesn't transfer to problems.
• Only ever counting forwards from zero.
• Moving to 3s, 4s and 6s before 2s, 5s and 10s are automatic.