Skip Counting

Understanding Skip Counting

Skip counting means counting by a number other than one. Instead of counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5..., you "skip" numbers and count by 2s, 5s, 10s, or 100s. Skip counting is a faster way to count and is the foundation for multiplication, division, and working with money and time!

What is Skip Counting?

When you skip count, you: - Start at any number (not just 0 or 1) - Add the same number repeatedly (like +5, +10, or +100) - Land on predictable numbers (patterns emerge!) - Count faster than counting by ones

Example - Skip counting by 5s starting at 0: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30...

Example - Skip counting by 10s starting at 20: 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80...

Why Skip Counting Matters

Skip counting helps you: - Count faster - more efficient than counting by ones - See patterns - numbers have relationships - Tell time - clock counts by 5s and 10s - Use money - nickels (5¢), dimes (10¢), dollars ($1) - Prepare for multiplication - skip counting is repeated addition! - Measure distances - counting by tens and hundreds

Skip Counting by 5s

Counting by fives is useful for telling time and counting nickels.

The Pattern in 5s

When you count by 5s, the numbers always end in 0 or 5:

Starting from 0: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60...

Pattern: 0, 5, 0, 5, 0, 5, 0, 5... - Even counts end in 0 - Odd counts end in 5

Skip Counting by 5s from Different Starting Points

Starting from 5: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40...

Starting from 10: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...

Starting from 25: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60...

Rule: Add 5 each time!

Visualizing 5s

On a number line:

0---5---10---15---20---25---30---35---40---45---50
  +5  +5   +5   +5   +5   +5   +5   +5   +5

With hands: - One hand = 5 fingers - 2 hands = 10 fingers - 3 hands = 15 fingers - 4 hands = 20 fingers

Clock face:

12
11  1
10    2
9      3
8    4
  7  5
   6

Each number = 5 minutes! - 1 = 5 minutes - 2 = 10 minutes - 3 = 15 minutes

Real-World Uses of Counting by 5s

Money - Nickels: - 1 nickel = 5¢ - 2 nickels = 10¢ - 3 nickels = 15¢ - 4 nickels = 20¢

Time: - Reading minutes on a clock - 5-minute intervals

Groups of 5: - Star stickers often come in 5s - Tally marks (||||) group by 5

Skip Counting by 10s

Counting by tens is one of the most useful skip counting patterns!

The Pattern in 10s

When you count by 10s, the ones digit stays the same and the tens digit increases:

Starting from 0: 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100...

Starting from 7: 7, 17, 27, 37, 47, 57, 67, 77, 87, 97, 107...

Notice: The ones digit is always 7!

Starting from 23: 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, 73, 83, 93, 103...

Notice: The ones digit is always 3!

The Power of 10s

Counting by 10s is easy because: - Just change the tens digit (increase by 1) - Ones digit stays the same - Works from any starting number!

Examples: - 15 → 25 → 35 → 45 → 55 → 65 - 48 → 58 → 68 → 78 → 88 → 98 - 81 → 91 → 101 → 111 → 121 → 131

Visualizing 10s

On a number line:

0---10---20---30---40---50---60---70---80---90---100
  +10  +10  +10  +10  +10  +10  +10  +10  +10

Base-ten blocks:

Ten-stick: ▬ = 10 ones
2 ten-sticks = 20
5 ten-sticks = 50
10 ten-sticks = 100 (one hundred flat!)

Hundreds chart patterns:

 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Going down = adding 10!

Real-World Uses of Counting by 10s

Money - Dimes: - 1 dime = 10¢ - 2 dimes = 20¢ - 5 dimes = 50¢ - 10 dimes = 100¢ = $1

Measurements: - Counting centimeters (rulers often mark every 10) - Ages: 10, 20, 30, 40 (decades)

Grouping: - Counting pencils (boxes of 10) - Counting fingers (10 per person) - Egg cartons (some hold 10)

Skip Counting by 100s

Counting by hundreds helps you work with three-digit numbers and understand place value!

The Pattern in 100s

When you count by 100s: - Hundreds digit increases by 1 - Tens and ones digits stay the same

Starting from 0: 0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000...

Starting from 50: 50, 150, 250, 350, 450, 550, 650, 750, 850, 950...

Notice: Always ends in 50!

Starting from 123: 123, 223, 323, 423, 523, 623, 723, 823, 923...

Notice: Always ends in 23!

Understanding the 100s Pattern

Key insight: Add 100 = increase hundreds digit by 1

Examples: - 200 + 100 = 300 - 375 + 100 = 475 - 810 + 100 = 910

The pattern: - Ones digit: no change - Tens digit: no change - Hundreds digit: +1

Visualizing 100s

On a number line:

0----100----200----300----400----500----600----700----800----900----1000
   +100   +100   +100   +100   +100   +100   +100   +100   +100

Base-ten blocks:

Hundred-flat: ▢ = 100 small cubes
2 flats = 200
5 flats = 500
10 flats = 1000 (one thousand block!)

Real-World Uses of Counting by 100s

Money - Dollar bills: - 1 dollar = 100 pennies - 2 dollars = 200 pennies - 5 dollars = 500 pennies

Measurements: - Distances: 100 meters, 200 meters, 300 meters - Weight: 100 grams, 200 grams, 300 grams

Large quantities: - School enrollment: 300, 400, 500 students - Pages: 100, 200, 300 pages - Building heights: 100 feet, 200 feet

Identifying Patterns in Skip Counting

Finding the Skip Counting Rule

Look at a sequence: 15, 20, 25, 30, 35...

Questions to ask: 1. What's the difference between consecutive numbers? - 20 - 15 = 5 - 25 - 20 = 5 - Pattern: +5

1. What's the starting number?

2. First number: 15

3. What's the rule?

4. Skip count by 5s, starting at 15

Pattern Recognition Examples

Example 1: 40, 50, 60, 70, 80... - Difference: +10 - Rule: Skip counting by 10s from 40

Example 2: 200, 300, 400, 500... - Difference: +100 - Rule: Skip counting by 100s from 200

Example 3: 35, 40, 45, 50, 55... - Difference: +5 - Rule: Skip counting by 5s from 35

Predicting the Next Number

Given: 125, 135, 145, 155, ___

Solution: 1. Find the pattern: +10 2. Add 10 to last number: 155 + 10 = 165 3. Answer: 165

Given: 400, 500, 600, ___

Solution: 1. Find the pattern: +100 2. Add 100 to last number: 600 + 100 = 700 3. Answer: 700

Skip Counting Backwards

You can also skip count backwards (subtracting)!

Counting Back by 5s

From 50: 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 0

From 100: 100, 95, 90, 85, 80, 75, 70, 65, 60, 55, 50...

Counting Back by 10s

From 100: 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 0

From 75: 75, 65, 55, 45, 35, 25, 15, 5

Counting Back by 100s

From 1000: 1000, 900, 800, 700, 600, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, 0

From 650: 650, 550, 450, 350, 250, 150, 50

Using Tools for Skip Counting

Hundreds Chart

A hundreds chart shows numbers 1-100 in a grid.

 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

Skip counting by 5s: Color 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30... (see the pattern!) Skip counting by 10s: Color 10, 20, 30, 40... (see vertical columns!)

Number Line

Draw jumps to show skip counting:

By 10s:

0 --→ 10 --→ 20 --→ 30 --→ 40 --→ 50
   +10   +10   +10   +10   +10

Tally Marks

Group by 5s makes counting easy:

||||  ||||  ||||  ||
5     10    15    17

Problem-Solving with Skip Counting

Example Problem 1

Problem: "Start at 35 and skip count by 5s three times. What number do you reach?"

Solution: - Start: 35 - +5: 35 → 40 - +5: 40 → 45 - +5: 45 → 50 - Answer: 50

Example Problem 2

Problem: "Continue the pattern: 20, 30, 40, , "

Solution: - Pattern: +10 - 40 + 10 = 50 - 50 + 10 = 60 - Answer: 50, 60

Example Problem 3

Problem: "You have 7 dimes. Skip count to find the total value."

Solution: - 1 dime = 10¢ - Skip count by 10s seven times: - 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 - Answer: 70¢

Example Problem 4

Problem: "Start at 250 and skip count by 100s until you reach 650. How many jumps?"

Solution: - 250 → 350 (1 jump) - 350 → 450 (2 jumps) - 450 → 550 (3 jumps) - 550 → 650 (4 jumps) - Answer: 4 jumps

Practice Activities

Activity 1: Skip Counting Race

Materials: Number cards, timer

Game: 1. Partner says "Skip count by 5s starting at 20!" 2. Race to say 10 numbers correctly 3. 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65 4. Switch and try with 10s or 100s

Activity 2: Coin Counting

Materials: Play money (nickels, dimes)

Activity: 1. Put out 6 nickels 2. Skip count by 5s: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30¢ 3. Put out 8 dimes 4. Skip count by 10s: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80¢

Activity 3: Hundreds Chart Coloring

Materials: Hundreds chart, crayons

Activity: 1. Color all multiples of 5 yellow 2. Color all multiples of 10 blue (overlapping = green!) 3. See the patterns emerge 4. Describe what you notice

Activity 4: Number Line Jumps

Materials: Paper, pencil

Activity: 1. Draw a number line 0-100 2. Show skip counting by 10s with jump arrows 3. Start from different numbers (like 7, 17, 27...) 4. Show both forward and backward counting

Activity 5: Mystery Pattern

Create challenges for partners: - Write: 45, 50, 55, ___, ___ - Partner fills in: 60, 65 - Check each other's work - Try with 10s and 100s too!

Connection to Multiplication

Skip counting is the foundation of multiplication!

Skip Counting = Repeated Addition

Skip counting by 5s: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25

As repeated addition: 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 25

As multiplication (later): 5 × 5 = 25

Understanding "Times"

"3 times 10" means: - Skip count by 10s three times - 10, 20, 30 - 3 × 10 = 30

Skip counting helps you understand multiplication!

Common Mistakes and Solutions

Mistake 1: Forgetting the starting number

Problem: "Skip count by 10s from 45" → saying 10, 20, 30...

Solution: Start at the given number! 45, 55, 65, 75...

Mistake 2: Mixing up the skip amount

Problem: Skip counting by 5s but accidentally adding 10

Solution: Say the skip amount with each count: "plus 5, plus 5, plus 5..."

Mistake 3: Losing track of the pattern

Problem: 200, 300, 500... (skipped 400)

Solution: Use visual tools like number lines or write it down to keep track

Mistake 4: Not recognizing patterns

Problem: Seeing 15, 20, 25... and not knowing what comes next

Solution: Find the difference between numbers (20-15=5) to see the pattern

Assessment Checkpoints

You've mastered skip counting when you can: - ✓ Skip count by 5s, 10s, and 100s from any starting number - ✓ Count both forward and backward - ✓ Identify the pattern in a skip counting sequence - ✓ Predict the next numbers in a pattern - ✓ Explain the rule for a skip counting sequence - ✓ Use skip counting to solve real-world problems (money, time) - ✓ Connect skip counting to repeated addition

Looking Ahead

Mastering skip counting prepares you for: - Multiplication tables: Skip counting IS multiplication - Division: Counting backwards or grouping - Fractions: Counting by halves, quarters - Time: Understanding minutes and hours - Money: Calculating totals and making change - Measurement: Working with metric and customary units

Conclusion

Skip counting is a powerful mathematical tool that makes counting faster, reveals number patterns, and builds the foundation for multiplication. By learning to skip count by 5s, 10s, and 100s from any starting number, you develop number sense and efficiency that will serve you throughout mathematics. Practice skip counting in everyday situations—counting money, reading clocks, measuring distances—and you'll see mathematics come alive in the world around you. This essential skill bridges simple counting and advanced operations, making you a confident and capable mathematician!