Skip Counting: How to Count by 2s, 5s, and 10s
Imagine you have 20 socks to put away. You could count every single one—1, 2, 3, 4, 5... all the way to 20. That takes a long time! Or you could count by 2s—2, 4, 6, 8... and reach 20 much faster! That trick is called skip counting, and once you learn it, big numbers feel easy.
What You'll Learn
By the end of this lesson you will be able to: • Count by 2s up to 20. • Count by 5s up to 50. • Count by 10s up to 100. • Explain why skip counting helps you add and count quickly.
Counting by 2s
When you count by 2s, you say every other number. You say 2, then skip 3, say 4, skip 5, say 6... and so on. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 Notice something? Every number in the count-by-2s list is EVEN. Even numbers end in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8. Shoes come in pairs—that is counting by 2s! Gloves come in pairs—counting by 2s!
Hold up both hands. Touch your thumbs together: 2. Touch your pointer fingers together: 4. Keep going until all fingers are touched: 10! You just counted by 2s to 10 using your fingers.
Counting by 5s
When you count by 5s, you jump 5 numbers each time. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 Every number ends in 5 or 0—easy to spot! Your hand has 5 fingers. One hand equals 5. Two hands equal 10. Counting by 5s is also perfect for nickels—each nickel is worth 5 cents.
Counting by 10s
Counting by 10s is the fastest of all! 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 Every number ends in 0. A box of crayons often has 10 crayons. Three boxes means 30 crayons—you counted by 10s without even trying! Our whole number system is built on groups of 10, which is why skip counting by 10s is so powerful.
Match each skip-count list to how much it skips.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
You have 4 bags of apples with 5 apples each. What skip count helps you find the total the fastest?
Which of these numbers is NOT in the count-by-10s list?
Skip-Count Hopscotch
1. Outside or in a big space, use chalk or tape to write numbers on the ground. 2. For counting by 2s: write 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 with spaces between each number. 3. Hop from number to number, calling out each one loudly as you land. 4. Try the same with 5s (write 5, 10, 15, 20, 25) and 10s (write 10, 20, 30, 40, 50). 5. Which count gets you to 50 with the fewest hops? Write your answer and explain why.
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