1. USE A CALCULATOR
Teachers usually don’t think about using calculators when practicing skip counting. However, they can be a fun and useful tool when teaching this skill.
Teacher Tip:
2. PLAY A GAME
3. QUESTIONING
Check out my Skip Counting and Odd/Even Numbers Flip and Go Math Cards. They are great for providing questions in whole group or small group.


4. USE STICKY NOTES WITH A 100s CHART
Using sticky notes can be a very fun and interactive way to practice skip counting. One example would be to use an enlarged number chart and cover specific numbers with a sticky note. Write one letter of the alphabet on each sticky notes. Next have students record the missing numbers on a separate recording sheet.In the example below, have students start at the number 9 and skip count by 3s.
If you love using sticky notes be sure to check out my post 10 Ways to Teach Math Using Post It Notes.
5. SING SONGS
Skip Count (…and then add on) from Harry Kindergarten Music – Harry Kindergarten Music has great music videos that incorporates a range of skills and concepts. This skip counting video has excellent visuals. It shows how to skip count using base ten rods and then adding on ones to figure out the total amount. It is a great tool for teaching math conceptually!
6. USE MANIPULATIVES
Students feel very accomplished when they are able to count by 2s, 5s, 10s, etc. But be careful! Students may appear to understand the strategy because they can recite a string of numbers, but do they really understand the purpose of skip counting? Pull out the manipulatives. Use snap cubes, candy. paper clips or any other objects you can find.
Be sure to ask guiding questions such as: 1) What do you notice? 2) How is the amount changing? or 3) If you continued this pattern, what would be the total number of objects in the 10th, 11th or 12th model?
Click on the photo below to check out this informative post from Math Coach’s Corner about why we still need to use those concrete objects when introducing this math skill.
Do you have any other ways that you teach skip counting in your classroom? Please share in the comments section.
Comments on the website “Mr Elentary Math” on 3rd November 2017
I make the students write each number in a specific range, say 100 to 200,
on a piece of paper. The chits are, then, distributed among the students.
Few of them might get more than 2 chits. Then i state the starting point of
the skip counting, say 110. The child with that chit has to stand up. Then I
say, “Start Counting by 3s”. Then all the children start counting in their mind,
and the child with the chit of 103 is supposed to stand up and speak out the number.
The child who stands up with an incorrect answer gets a “cross” and every child, who
stands up with the correct chit in his hand, is given a “tick mark”.
The aim of each child is to get all tickmarks and no cross.a
I play a game called Bing Bang Bong. We stand in a circle and skip count up and down. I decided what direction and what we will be counting by, as well as starting and end points (ex. counting down by fives from 425 to 330). When we hit the end point, the next three kids in the circle are Bing, Bang and Bong. Bong has to sit down. You also sit down if you take longer than 3 seconds to respond, or if you are incorrect in your number. Last person standing wins a prize.
Thanks for sharing Lisa. That seems like a really fun review game : )
We play the game BUZZ using a hundreds chart. My kids LOVE it. Afterwards we look for patterns within the numbers. This has helped us improve our multiplication dramatically!
Thanks for sharing! Looking for patterns is so important and gets kids thinking about math.
Greg
Thank you for sharing these great ideas. I have attached the link to "count By Tens and Then Count On" to my white board presentations for identifying the number that is represented by groups of tens and ones. This will come in handy when the children need a review of how it is done 🙂
Thanks for sharing your awesome ideas and for participating in our collaborative linky. 🙂
Nicole and Eliceo
Thanks for this collection of great ideas, Greg! I'm a big fan of Harry Kindergarten's math videos, too! 🙂
Linda at Primary Inspiration