Skip Counting by 2s, 5s and 10s Worksheets

Print twelve rows and let the child work for about ten minutes. Suggest they read each row aloud, quietly, to hear the pattern, then fill the blanks. Rows do not always start at the step itself: a row might begin 15, 20, 25 or 6, 8, 10, so tell them to read the first boxes before writing. Check with the answer key, and let the child explain the step.

Skip counting turns a number line into repeated addition. Counting by tens is the easiest for first graders, fives follow, and twos are tied to even numbers. The gaps may sit anywhere after the first box, including two in a row, so the child must carry the pattern forward and sometimes backward. Starting in the middle of a count is harder than reciting from the start. These patterns become the groundwork for the times tables.

Leave Count by on 2, 5, 10 for this page's level. Moving to 2 to 5, 10 adds threes and fours and brings the page near the mixed sheet. The 3 to 9 option is a big step up, so wait until twos, fives and tens are automatic. Six rows works as a warm-up, twenty for a longer workout. Tell stuck children to find the step from two known neighbors.

Why do some rows start somewhere other than the step?

Counting by fives from 15 is a different skill from reciting 5, 10, 15 from the start. Rows that start later check that the pattern is understood, not just memorized.

How can my child find the step if the first box is large?

Subtract two neighbors that are both filled in. The difference is the step. Then add it to the last known number to fill the next blank, or subtract it to go backward.

Do hundred charts help with skip counting?

Yes. Color every second, fifth or tenth number and the pattern is visible: fives land in two columns, tens in one. Do it before the worksheet if the child is stuck.