Skip Counting Worksheet: 2s, 5s and 10s (Free PDF)

What’s in the PDF

• Page 1 (Level 1, easier): It has two count-by-10s trains, a row of hands to count by 5s, two count-by-5s trains and a circle-the-10s number hunt.
• Page 2 (Level 2, harder): It has eight pairs of socks to count by 2s, two count-by-2s trains, a number line to hop by 2s and six mixed “next two numbers” questions.
• Page 3: an answer key for both levels.

Print one level at a time. If Level 1 feels easy, move straight on to Level 2.

How to teach skip counting

Skip counting means jumping along the numbers instead of saying every one. Start with tens, because children can hear the pattern: ten, twenty, thirty. Then try fives using hands, and twos using pairs of socks or shoes. Saying the numbers in a chant, or quietly whispering the in-between numbers and saying the skip numbers loudly, helps many children.

What to watch for

When counting by 5s, children often lose track after 50. Point out that the numbers always end in 5 or 0. With 2s, some children slip into odd numbers; remind them that counting by 2s from 2 always lands on even numbers.

Game: Whisper and shout

Count from 1 to 20 together, whispering odd numbers and shouting even ones. Then try 1 to 50, shouting only the fives. The shouted numbers are the skip-counting numbers.

Everyday practice

Count pairs of shoes by the door in twos, coins in fives or tens, or fingers on the family’s hands by fives. Grouping things to count them faster is skip counting in real life.

Questions to ask while they work

• What is the next number when counting by 10s?
• What do all the 5s numbers end in?
• How many socks are in four pairs?

Practise next

Try patterns, missing numbers, addition within 10. A hundreds chart makes skip-counting patterns easy to see.