Skip counting means counting in jumps of the same size: 2, 4, 6, 8, or 5, 10, 15, 20. It’s one of the big maths ideas of Year 1, and it leads straight on to money, the clock and times tables. Here’s what skip counting is, when children learn it in Victoria, how to teach it at home in short, easy steps, and six games that need nothing more than socks, coins and a staircase.
What is skip counting?
When children first learn to count, they count by ones: 1, 2, 3, 4. Skip counting jumps over some numbers, always by the same amount. Counting by twos skips every second number. Counting by tens lands only on 10, 20, 30.
The useful part is that each number in the pattern tells you how many there are so far. Five pairs of socks, counted 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, makes 10 socks without touching each one.
| Count by | The pattern | Everyday things to count |
|---|---|---|
| 10s | 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 … | Fingers on two hands, 10c coins |
| 5s | 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 … | Fingers on one hand, 5c coins, minutes on the clock |
| 2s | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 … | Socks, shoes, eyes, ears |
| 3s and 4s | 3, 6, 9, 12 … and 4, 8, 12, 16 … | Legs on a stool, wheels on a car |
| 25s, 50s and 100s | 25, 50, 75, 100 … | Money, and bigger numbers in Year 3 |
Children also learn to count backwards by the same jumps (50, 45, 40, 35), and to start from a number that isn’t in the usual pattern. Counting 3, 13, 23, 33 is counting by tens too, and it’s a real test of whether a child understands tens.
When do children learn skip counting?
In Victoria, the Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0 sets out maths year by year. Skip counting isn’t part of the Prep (Foundation) content. Prep is about counting by ones, and knowing that the last number you say tells you how many there are.
| Year | What children learn |
|---|---|
| Prep | Counting by ones: “name, represent and order numbers, including zero to at least 20” (VC2MFN01) |
| Year 1 | Pattern sequences “formed by skip counting, initially by twos, fives and tens”, including with Australian coins (VC2M1A01), and counting collections to at least 120 “by partitioning collections into equal groups using number knowledge and skip counting” (VC2M1N03) |
| Year 2 | Patterns “that increase or decrease by a constant amount”, including finding missing numbers (VC2M2A01), and the twos facts (VC2M2A03) |
| Year 3 | Odd and even numbers (VC2M3N01), for example “identifying even numbers using skip counting by twos”, and the 3, 4, 5 and 10 facts (VC2M3A03) |
Last checked 19 October 2026. By the end of Year 1, the Victorian achievement standard says children “partition collections into equal groups and skip count in twos, fives or tens to quantify collections to at least 120.” In other words, they can count a big pile quickly by grouping it first.
Why skip counting matters
- Counting big collections. A pile of 60 blocks is slow and error-prone by ones. Grouped into tens, it’s six quick counts.
- Money. A handful of 5c coins is counted by fives, and 10c coins by tens. The curriculum even suggests stacking $1 coins in piles of 10 and skip counting in tens. Our guide to Australian money for kids has a pretend shop that uses this.
- The clock. Each number on a clock face is five minutes apart, so counting by fives is how children read the minutes. See teaching kids to tell the time.
- Times tables. Counting by fives to 20, and keeping track of four jumps, is four fives. Skip counting is how multiplication starts making sense. Our post on when kids learn times tables in Australia picks up the story from here.
How to teach skip counting at home
- Start with real things. Line up pairs of shoes or socks and count the pairs by twos, touching each pair. Children need to see that each jump is a group, not just a word in a chant.
- Tens first. Ten, twenty, thirty sounds like one, two, three, so it’s the easiest pattern to hear. Count the fingers of everyone at the table by tens.
- Then fives. Hold up one hand at a time and count by fives. A hand is a ready-made group of five.
- Then twos. Twos take the most jumps to reach a big number, so they come last for many children.
- Use a hundred chart. Colour every fifth or every second number on a printed hundred chart. The colours make columns and stripes, and children can see the pattern as well as say it.
- Count back and start somewhere new. Once a pattern is easy, count it backwards, then start from 4 and count by tens (4, 14, 24). The Victorian Curriculum suggests songs, rhymes and stories to make the patterns stick.
Six skip counting games for home
- Sock pairs. On washing day, pair the socks and count them by twos as they go into the drawer.
- Coin stacks. Make stacks of 5c or 10c coins and count the total by fives or tens. Count a mixed handful by sorting it first.
- Staircase jumps. Say one number in the pattern on each step: 5, 10, 15. Going back down, count backwards.
- What’s missing? Say a pattern with a gap: “10, 20, hmm, 40”. Your child fills the gap. Swap roles so they can catch you out.
- Hand count. Ask how many fingers are in the room, counting each hand by fives. Add the toes for a bigger total.
- Car trip patterns. Take turns saying the next number in a pattern and see how far you can get before someone slips.
Short and often works best. Two or three minutes, stopped while it’s still fun, beats a long session at the table. For more quick ideas, see everyday maths talk for Prep to Year 3.
Common sticking points
Losing track at the turn of a ten. Many children count by fives happily to 45, then stall. Go back to the hundred chart and look at what comes after 45 in the coloured column.
Mixing up twos after ten. 10, 12, 14 can come out as 10, 11, 12. Slow down and use objects again for a while.
Counting by ones under their breath. This is a normal step. It shows your child is checking. It fades as the pattern becomes familiar.
If your child still finds counting by ones to 20 hard by the middle of Year 1, have a chat with their teacher, who can see how they work in class.
Questions parents ask
What is skip counting?
Skip counting is counting in jumps of the same size instead of by ones: 2, 4, 6, 8 when you count by twos, or 5, 10, 15, 20 when you count by fives. It is a quick way to count groups, money and minutes.
When do kids learn skip counting in Australia?
In Victoria, skip counting is part of Year 1 maths, starting with twos, fives and tens. In Year 2 children work with patterns that go up or down by the same amount, and in Year 3 they use counting by twos to explain odd and even numbers.
Should a Prep child be able to skip count?
It isn’t expected. Prep maths is about counting by ones to at least 20 and knowing how many are in a group. Many Prep children enjoy chanting by tens, and that’s a lovely head start, but there’s no need to push it.
Should I teach counting by 2s, 5s or 10s first?
Most children find tens easiest, because 10, 20, 30 sounds like 1, 2, 3. Fives come next, with hands of five fingers, then twos, which need the most steps to reach a big number.
How does skip counting help with times tables?
Counting by fives to 20 is the same as working out four fives. Once children can skip count and track how many jumps they made, multiplication facts make sense instead of being a list to memorise.
Sources
- Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0: Mathematics, VCAA (VC2MFN01, VC2M1A01, VC2M1N03, VC2M2A01, VC2M2A03, VC2M3N01, VC2M3A03 and the Level 1 achievement standard)
- Mathematics and numeracy at home, Victorian Government
