Place value and number senseGrades 1–3
Skip counting worksheets for 2s, 5s, 10s and more
Make skip counting rows with missing numbers. Choose a step (2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 25 or 100) or a mix, set up to four blanks per row, and print the sheet with its answer key or as a PDF.
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On this page
Counting forward in jumps
Skip counting is counting by a number other than one: 5, 10, 15, 20, and so on. Children usually learn the 2s, 5s and 10s in first and second grade, then 3s, 4s and the bigger jumps in third. It is a bridge to multiplication, because counting by 4 five times lands on the same number as 4 × 5. It also makes mental addition faster, since a child who can count by 5 can add nickels in their head.
This page makes rows of seven numbers that increase by a single step, with some numbers erased. The page is set to Skip counting and starts with three blanks per row, which is right for a student who has begun to count in jumps but still needs the neighbors for support.
Which settings to change
- Pattern type. Keep this on Skip counting. The other choices turn the sheet into the general number patterns page.
- Skip count by. Pick 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 25 or 100. The page heading will change to name the step, such as "Skip Counting by 5s." Mixed gives a different step on each row, which is a good review after the individual steps are secure.
- Missing numbers in each row. One to four. Start at one or two for a new step, then increase.
- Number of problems. Between 6 and 20 rows.
Each row begins at a multiple of the step, which can be zero, so a count by 5 might start at 0 or 35 and a count by 100 might start at 300. Starting on a multiple means the numbers a child says always belong to that times table, which reinforces the connection to multiplication.
Every row still ends with a small box for the rule. For skip counting the answer is always a plus sign and the step, such as +25. If you only want the counting, the student can leave it blank or you can ask them to write it as a quick check.
Worked example: counting by 25
Say a row reads: 75, 100, 125, __, 175, 200, __.
- Look at the pair of numbers that sit side by side: 100 and 125. The jump is 25.
- The first gap sits between 125 and 175. Count on from 125: 125 + 25 = 150. Check forward: 150 + 25 = 175, which is the number printed.
- The second gap comes after 200. Add one more jump: 200 + 25 = 225.
- Complete row: 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225. Rule: +25.
A hands-on version: lay out quarters and say the totals as you add each one, 25 cents, 50 cents, 75 cents, and so on. This is the same pattern a child writes on the page.
What the answer key helps you notice
- The 3s and 4s. These are the steps most likely to cause slips, since the ones digit changes each time and the pattern is less obvious than with 5s and 10s. Practice them by saying the numbers aloud.
- Crossing a hundred. Counting by 5 from 95, a child may write 100 correctly but then hesitate. In counting by 25, the pattern 75, 100, 125 shows that the hundreds digit moves up while the last two digits repeat.
- Stopping the count early. Check whether the student can continue the row past the printed numbers.
Ideas for practice away from the page
Count out loud while walking stairs, clap on every fifth beat, or point to a hundred chart. Ten minutes a day of oral practice often works better than a long worksheet. When a child counts by 10s and 5s smoothly, move on to the more flexible number patterns worksheets, where the steps change in direction and size. If you want to see the numbers on a line, use the blank number lines to print, and for building toward multiplication try the nines table practice.