Skip counting is taught in many classrooms as students begin to learn their times table facts. Skip counting involves skipping out some of the numbers when counting. For example, skip counting by 2 would involve saying all of the even numbers while leaving out the odd numbers (e.g. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10).
When children can skip count, it can help them gain confidence with other areas of math such as multiplication or number sense. Learning to skip count does involve a lot of repetition though, which can sometimes mean that children lose interest in repeating their skip counting practice before they’ve become proficient at it. That’s where this blog post comes in.
I have some skip counting worksheets and activities to share with you to help keep skip counting practice fun and engaging for you and your students.
Skip Counting on a Chart
A simple way to get students started with skip counting is to present a hundreds chart and ask them to highlight the numbers as they skip count. For example, the image below prompts students to highlight the multiples of 6, meaning every 6th number on the chart will end up highlighted or coloured in. This can then be kept as a record to help students quickly see which numbers are multiples of 6.
Of course, this strategy can easily be used for skip counting by other numbers as well. You could even make it part of your maths routine each time you introduce a new skip counting sequence to your students.
You can find a copy of this Skip Counting by 6 Worksheet here, as part of my 6x Table Practice Pack.
Skip Counting Mazes
Skip counting mazes are great for helping students gain confidence with skip counting, and they’re so fun and engaging! In a skip counting maze, students will need to colour the next number in the skip counting sequence until they reach the end of the maze. These can focus on any number that students are practising skip counting by.
If you’re looking for some ready-made skip counting mazes, the one pictured below is available in my store as part of the Junior Skip Counting Mazes Set.
I also have some Skip Counting Mazes focusing on skip counting by 5, and some Mixed Skip Counting Mazes. Or you can get them all in the Skip Counting Mazes Value Bundle.
Skip Counting Hopscotch
If you want to give your students an opportunity to get moving while they do maths practice, Skip Counting Hopscotch is a great way to do this! Have them write out the numbers of a skip counting sequence into a hopscotch path. Then, they can say each number out loud while they hop through the hopscotch path.
Skip Counting Songs
Songs are a fantastic way to make repetitive learning activities fun and engaging. There are many options out there of skip counting songs that you can use with your students. Here are 3 of my favourites.
Digital Skip Counting Games
Finally, adding a digital component to your skip counting practice can help keep things interesting. There are many maths websites and apps out there with varying ranges of activities at varying prices. A simple and free skip counting game that I recently discovered is this one called Number Bubble Skip Counting from ABCya and it can be a fun one to start with in your learning space.
I hope that these ideas help you to keep your students’ skip counting practice fun and engaging. You can use the links to buy your own copies of the printable resources I’ve referenced in this blog post.
Do you want some tips for teaching times tables while you’re here? Then have a read through my post of Ideas for Teaching Children Times Tables.
P.S. I love to hear how my tips and resources are helping you in your teaching, so leave a comment to let me know!
Have a question or a request? You can contact me at blueskydesignsbymrst@gmail.com.
The Musings of Mrs T 