Counting in steps of 2, 5 and 10
Maths · Key Stage 1 · The School
Counting in twos
Count in twos: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. Each step skips one number. 3, 5, 7 and 9 are never said. Start from 1 instead: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. Both are counting in twos. They just start in a different place.
Counting in fives and tens
Count in fives: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25. Every number ends in 5 or 0. Count in tens: 10, 20, 30, 40. Every number ends in 0. The tens digit counts up by one each time. These two are the easiest to learn.
Counting backward in steps
The same steps work backward. Count back in twos from 20: 20, 18, 16, 14, 12. Count back in tens from 50: 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 0. The step size stays the same. Only the direction changes.
Why skip counting is faster
Twenty sweets sit in four groups of five. Count in fives: 5, 10, 15, 20. Four words, done. Count one at a time and that is twenty words. Twenty chances to lose your place. Skip counting is not a trick. It is the quicker way.
Counting a group of objects
A tray holds coins in pairs. Count them: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. Six pairs. Twelve coins. Six words, not twelve. Twelve coins do not split evenly into fives. Groups of two work better here. Pick the step that matches how the objects sit.