Skip counting means counting in equal jumps instead of ones: 2, 4, 6, 8… or 5, 10, 15, 20… It looks simple, but it quietly teaches three of the most important ideas in early maths — equal groups, number patterns and multiplication.
Skip Counting Is Multiplication in Order
Counting in 4s — 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 — lists 1 × 4, 2 × 4, 3 × 4, 4 × 4 and 5 × 4. So anyone who can skip count in 4s can already find 6 × 4 by counting on six jumps. Over time the counting becomes quicker, until the answer is simply remembered. That is why skip counting is often practised just before learning the times tables.
A Good Order to Learn the Patterns
- 10s — 10, 20, 30… The last digit is always 0.
- 2s — the even numbers. The last digit repeats 2, 4, 6, 8, 0.
- 5s — the last digit alternates 5, 0, 5, 0.
- 3s and 4s — no simple last-digit pattern, so these need more practice.
- 6s to 9s — built on earlier patterns: the 6s are double the 3s, the 8s are double the 4s.
Patterns That Help
- Counting in 9s: the tens digit goes up by one and the ones digit goes down by one — 9, 18, 27, 36, 45.
- Counting in 5s from an odd start (3, 8, 13, 18) keeps a last-digit pattern too: 3, 8, 3, 8.
- Patterns don't have to start at zero. Starting from other numbers is great practice for spotting the jump.
Counting Backwards
Counting back in jumps — 50, 45, 40, 35 — builds subtraction and division. 35 is seven jumps of 5 below 70, which is the same as saying 35 ÷ 5 = 7. Practising in both directions makes the patterns much more flexible.
Simple Ways to Practise
- Say it with a rhythm: clap on every number, or whisper the in-between numbers and say the jump numbers out loud (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…).
- Use a number line or 100 square: colour every jump and look at the shape the pattern makes.
- Everyday counting: count coins in 5s and 10s, pairs of shoes in 2s, or days in weeks (7s).
- Fill the gap: write a pattern with one number missing — 12, 18, ?, 30 — and work it out.
How Long Does It Take?
A few minutes a day is enough. Once someone can count a pattern forwards and backwards without stopping, and can start it from a number other than zero, it's a good time to move on to the matching times table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is skip counting the same as the times tables?
It lists the same answers in order. The times tables go a step further by answering any fact directly, in any order, without counting.
Why start with 2s, 5s and 10s?
Their last-digit patterns are easy to hear and see, which builds confidence before the less regular patterns like 3s, 7s and 8s.
Ready to practise? Try our Skip Counting game, then move on to Times Tables.