Skip counting is a bridge, not a destination. When a child chants 3, 6, 9, 12, they are walking towards the times tables, but the goal is further on: to hear "seven threes" and simply know 7 × 3 = 21, without counting at all. This guide explains what skip counting is, which numbers to count by at each age, quick activities you can do at home or in class, and a simple plan to move from counting up to just knowing the facts.
Skip counting means counting forward or backward in equal jumps bigger than 1. Counting by twos goes 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Older books call this "counting by twos" (see Wikipedia), and schools in England say "counting in multiples" or "counting in steps".
Every number you land on is a multiple of the step. So counting by 3s lists the 3 times table: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30. A child who can skip count by 3s already has every answer to the 3 times table in their head, in order. The next job is to reach any one of those answers quickly.
The number of jumps is the number of groups. Four jumps of 3 land on 12, which is the same as 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12, or 4 × 3 = 12. Math is Fun uses this repeated-addition link too, and researchers at Northwestern's Multiplicity Lab describe skip counting as the step from counting ones to thinking in equal groups.
Show children the same idea three ways:
Our times tables chart makes the link visible: every row of the chart is a skip-counting sequence.
Here is the order the curricula use. The England wording comes from the national curriculum for mathematics, and the US wording from the Common Core standards K.CC.A.1 and 2.NBT.A.2.
| Year or grade | What children count by |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten (US) | Count to 100 by ones and by tens |
| Year 1 (England) | Count in multiples of 2s, 5s and 10s |
| Year 2 (England) | Count in steps of 2, 3 and 5 from 0, and in 10s from any number, forward and backward |
| Grade 2 (US) | Skip-count by 5s, 10s and 100s within 1000 |
| Year 3 (England) | Count from 0 in multiples of 4, 8, 50 and 100 |
| Year 4 (England) | Count in multiples of 6, 7, 9, 25 and 1,000 |
Recall comes after counting. In England, children are expected to recall the 2, 5 and 10 times tables in Year 2, the 3, 4 and 8 tables in Year 3, and all tables up to 12 × 12 in Year 4. In the US, standard 3.OA.C.7 says that by the end of Grade 3 children should know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.
Every child moves at their own pace. These are curriculum expectations for teachers to plan around, not a test of your child.
The doubling trick is the same idea behind the near doubles strategy for addition: start from something you know and build on it.
The 3s are often the first count with no simple last-digit pattern, so give children some structure.
Keep it playful and short. Maths No Problem points out that two minutes once a day beats ten minutes once a week.
Researcher Arthur Baroody described three phases children pass through on the way to knowing number facts, as explained by Maths No Problem and MathFactLab: first counting, then reasoning from facts they already know, and finally mastery, meaning fast and accurate answers. Maths No Problem notes that children don't reach the last phase without going through the first two. Here is what each stage looks like for 8 × 6.
The child counts in 6s: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48. That is 8 jumps. It is slow, but it is correct, and that matters.
The child starts from a fact they know, 5 × 6 = 30, and counts on: 36, 42, 48. That is only 3 jumps. Or they split the problem: 5 × 6 + 3 × 6 = 30 + 18 = 48.
The child says 48 straight away. Our guide on how to learn times tables fast covers this stage, including the 10 hardest facts.
Here is a trap to watch for. A child who always counts up from zero gets slow on the long tables, and it is easy to lose track halfway through counting in 7s. Teaching the landmarks at 5 times and 10 times cuts the counting in half and moves the child towards Stage 2.
Ask a quick question such as "What is 6 × 3?" and watch how the answer comes:
Note the stage for each table, because a child can be at Stage 3 for the 2s and Stage 1 for the 7s. Use the 10-question practice on the times tables page to work on one table at a time. When facts start coming quickly, mix them up in Practice or the multiplication game.
Only move to a short timed check once counting is rare, and keep it calm. Our mad minute math guide shows how. Never use timing to pressure a child.
Skip counting is counting forward or backward in equal jumps bigger than 1, such as 5, 10, 15, 20. Each number you land on is a multiple of the step, so skip counting lists the times table for that number.
Most children start around age 5 or 6, counting by tens in Kindergarten or by 2s, 5s and 10s in Year 1. Counts by 3s, 4s and 8s usually follow over the next two years, and 6s, 7s and 9s come around age 8 or 9. Every child moves at their own pace.
Start with 10s, 2s and 5s, because their patterns are the easiest to hear and see. Then move on to 3s, then 4s and 8s, which build on doubling, and finally 6s, 7s and 9s.
The number of jumps tells you the number of groups. Four jumps of 3 land on 12, which is 4 × 3 = 12. Skip counting gives children a reliable way to find any times-table answer while they are still learning the facts.
No. Counting is the first stage, and it gives correct answers. To move on, teach the landmarks at 5 times and 10 times so your child can jump from there instead of starting at zero, and recall will follow with short, regular practice.
Chant the count in three-beat chunks: 3, 6, 9, then 12, 15, 18, then 21, 24, 27, then 30. Use 15 and 30 as landmarks, colour every third number on a hundreds chart, and count real things like tricycle wheels.