Skip Counting: Charts for 2s to 10s and How to Practice

Skip counting means counting forward by the same number each time instead of by 1, for example by 2s (2, 4, 6, 8) or by 5s (5, 10, 15, 20). It builds in steps: in the Common Core State Standards, kindergartners count to 100 by ones and by tens, second graders skip-count by 5s, 10s and 100s, and third graders are expected to know every product of two one-digit numbers from memory, which is where counting by 3s, 4s and the rest pays off (Common Core, K.CC.A.1; 2.NBT.A.2; 3.OA.C.7). The charts below go to the 10th step for each number.

Skip counting charts from 2s to 10s

By	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
2s	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18	20
3s	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30
4s	4	8	12	16	20	24	28	32	36	40
5s	5	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50
6s	6	12	18	24	30	36	42	48	54	60
7s	7	14	21	28	35	42	49	56	63	70
8s	8	16	24	32	40	48	56	64	72	80
9s	9	18	27	36	45	54	63	72	81	90
10s	10	20	30	40	50	60	70	80	90	100

Each row is also a times table: the 4th number in the 6s row is 24, and 4 × 6 = 24.

The order most kids learn it in

1. By 10s. Kindergartners count to 100 by tens (Common Core, K.CC.A.1). It’s the easiest pattern: 10, 20, 30, and the ones digit is always 0.
2. By 5s and by 2s. Second graders skip-count by 5s, 10s and 100s within 1000 (Common Core, 2.NBT.A.2), and they use counting by 2s to tell whether a group of up to 20 objects is odd or even (Common Core, 2.OA.C.3). Counting by 5s is also how they read the minute hand on a clock, which is a second-grade standard too (Common Core, 2.MD.C.7).
3. By 100s. Also second grade: 100, 200, 300, up to 1000.
4. By 3s, 4s, 6s, 7s, 8s and 9s. These come with multiplication. By the end of third grade, kids are expected to know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers (Common Core, 3.OA.C.7).

Your child’s school may order this a little differently, since states can change or add to the Common Core.

Patterns that make each one easier

• 2s: Starting from 0, every number is even and ends in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8, and the endings repeat in that order.
• 5s: The endings take turns: 5, 0, 5, 0.
• 10s: Only the tens digit changes. The ones digit is always 0.
• 4s: Every other number from the 2s list: 4, 8, 12, 16.
• 6s: Every other number from the 3s list: 6, 12, 18, 24.
• 8s: Every other number from the 4s list: 8, 16, 24, 32.
• 9s: Up to 90, the tens digit goes up by 1 and the ones digit goes down by 1 (09, 18, 27, 36, 45), and the two digits always add up to 9.
• 3s: Every third number on a hundreds chart. Up to 30, the digits of each number add up to 3, 6 or 9.

Point these out once your child can say the first few numbers. Spotting a pattern turns a list to memorize into something they can figure out.

Ways to practice skip counting

• Hundreds chart coloring. Print or draw a 1 to 100 chart and color every 5th square. The colored squares form two neat columns. Try 2s, 3s and 10s with different colors, and look at the shapes each one makes.
• Count real things in groups. Pairs of socks by 2s, fingers on hands by 5s, coins: nickels by 5s and dimes by 10s.
• Jump and count. Your child jumps once for each number while counting by 2s or 5s. Kids who find it hard to sit still often like this one.
• Count up the stairs. Each step is one more skip: 3, 6, 9, 12.
• Clap the gaps. Whisper the numbers in between and say the skip-count numbers out loud: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.”
• Start in the middle. Once a sequence is easy from the start, ask “What comes after 35 when we count by 5s?” so it doesn’t only work from the top.
• Count backward. 50, 45, 40 is great practice for subtraction and for reading “minutes to” on a clock.

From skip counting to times tables

When a sequence is easy, connect it to multiplication. Ask “How many 5s did we count to get to 30?” and count them on fingers: 6. That’s 6 × 5 = 30. The third-grade standard asks kids to multiply fluently within 100 using strategies like this, and to know the products of one-digit numbers from memory by the end of the year (Common Core, 3.OA.C.7).

Counting by 5s also unlocks the clock: see How to Read a Clock. And if your child is still building the facts to 10, Number Bonds is a good place to start.