Skip Counting Worksheets

What it is

Skip counting means counting forward by the same amount every time, instead of counting by ones.

Why it matters

Skip counting is the bridge between counting one at a time and real place-value thinking, counting by 10s previews how the base-ten system itself is organized, and it's the fluency multiplication facts get built on top of a grade later.

How to do it

1. Find the gap between the first two numbers shown, that's what you're counting by.
2. Add that same gap to the last number shown to find the next one.
3. Check your answer by making sure the same gap works between every pair of numbers.

Examples by level

Examples are generated by the same engine as the worksheets, so they're always mathematically correct. Built to avoid repeats, not reshuffle the same handful of questions.

Common mistakes

• Losing the count by one (e.g. landing on 46 instead of 45 when skip counting by 5s).
• Switching step size partway through, sliding from counting by 10s into counting by 5s.
• Assuming the sequence always starts on a round number, it doesn't, so the first step is finding the gap, not guessing the pattern.

Tips

• Counting by 10s only changes the tens digit, the ones digit stays the same.
• Counting by 100s only changes the hundreds digit.

Key vocabulary

skip counting

counting forward by the same amount each time, instead of by ones

Frequently asked questions

What numbers does Grade 2 skip counting cover?

Counting by 5s, 10s, and 100s (the US Common Core standard, 2.NBT.2) and by 20s, 25s, and 50s (the Ontario curriculum, B1.4), staying within 1,000.

Does every sequence start on a round number?

No, sequences can start on any whole number, not just a clean multiple of the step, that's what gives skip counting real variety instead of repeating the same handful of sequences.