Engaging Skip Counting Lesson Plan: Fun Games & Activities for 2s, 5s, 10s

Teach skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s with this fun, hands-on lesson plan! Engage early elementary students with active games like skip counting hopscotch, LEGO grouping activities, and hundred chart pattern discovery. This multi-sensory approach builds a strong foundation for multiplication and makes learning number patterns an exciting adventure.

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Lesson Plan: The Super Skip Counting Adventure

Materials Needed:

  • Sidewalk chalk OR masking tape and paper plates
  • A collection of small, identical items (e.g., 50 LEGO bricks, dried beans, pennies, or small blocks)
  • A printed hundred chart
  • Crayons or markers in at least three different colors (e.g., blue, green, red)
  • A small basket or bowl

1. Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

  • Verbally skip count by 2s to 20, 5s to 50, and 10s to 100.
  • Physically demonstrate skip counting by jumping to the correct numbers.
  • Create and identify visual patterns for skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s on a hundred chart.
  • Group physical objects to represent skip counting sequences.

2. Alignment with Standards

  • Common Core Math Standards Alignment: This lesson builds foundational skills for CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.NBT.A.1 (Count to 120, starting from any number) and prepares for CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.OA.C.3 (Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication).

3. Instructional Strategies & Lesson Activities

This lesson uses a multi-sensory approach, combining physical movement (kinesthetic), hands-on building (tactile), and visual pattern recognition to make skip counting a fun and memorable concept.

Part 1: Warm-Up - The Body Beat Chant (5 minutes)

Goal: To introduce the rhythm and sound of skip counting.

  1. Count by 10s: Start with the easiest. Say, "Let's wake up our bodies with a counting beat! We will count by 10s. For each number, we'll clap our hands high!" Lead the student in chanting: "10! (clap) 20! (clap) 30! (clap)..." all the way to 100.
  2. Count by 2s: Say, "Great! Now let's count by 2s. This time, we'll march. Every number gets a stomp!" Lead the student in a march: "2! (stomp) 4! (stomp) 6! (stomp)..." up to 20. Make it fun and loud.

Part 2: Hands-On - LEGO Grouping (10 minutes)

Goal: To connect the abstract idea of skip counting to concrete groups of objects.

  1. Counting by 2s (Pairs): Place the pile of LEGOs or beans on the table. Say, "We see pairs of things everywhere, like socks or shoes. A pair is two. Let's make pairs!" Have the student pull out two LEGOs at a time and place them in a line. As they place each pair, count together: "2, 4, 6, 8, 10..."
  2. Counting by 5s (Hands): Clear the LEGOs. Say, "Now let's count by 5s. How many fingers on one hand? Five! Let's make groups of five." Have the student create small towers or piles with five LEGOs each. As each group is completed, count aloud: "5, 10, 15, 20..."

Part 3: Active Game - Skip Counting Hopscotch (15 minutes)

Goal: To practice skip counting in a fun, physical way that reinforces number sequences.

  1. Setup: With sidewalk chalk (outdoors) or masking tape and paper plates (indoors), create a hopscotch board. Instead of the traditional layout, write the numbers 1-20 in a long line or path.
  2. Play Round 1 (Counting by 2s): Say, "It's time for hopscotch! But in this game, we only land on certain numbers. First, we will skip count by 2s. You can only jump on 2, 4, 6, and so on. Let's try!" Have the student jump from number to number, saying the number aloud as they land on it. Cheer them on!
  3. Play Round 2 (Counting by 5s): Say, "Excellent! Now let's try skip counting by 5s. Which numbers will you land on?" Let them try to guess the first few (5, 10, 15...). Have them jump the path again, landing only on the multiples of 5.

Part 4: Creative Exploration - Hundred Chart Pattern Detective (10 minutes)

Goal: To help the student see the beautiful patterns that skip counting makes.

  1. Provide the student with the hundred chart and the three colored markers/crayons.
  2. Investigate the 10s: Ask the student to take the red marker and color in all the numbers they say when they count by 10s (10, 20, 30...). Ask, "What do you notice? What does the pattern look like?" (They form a straight column).
  3. Investigate the 5s: Next, use the green marker to color in the numbers for counting by 5s (5, 10, 15...). The number 10 square will now be half red, half green! Ask, "What pattern do the 5s make?" (Two straight columns).
  4. Investigate the 2s: Finally, use the blue marker to color in the numbers for counting by 2s up to 20. Ask, "What do you notice about all the numbers we color when we count by 2s?" (They are all even numbers, they make columns).

4. Wrap-Up & Assessment

Show What You Know (5 minutes)

This is a low-pressure way to see what the student has learned.

  1. Put a handful of LEGOs (e.g., 12) in a basket. Ask the student, "Can you show me how to count these by 2s?" Observe as they group and count them.
  2. Point to the number 40 on the hundred chart. Ask, "If we are counting by 10s, what number comes next?"
  3. Ask them to do five "skip counting jumps" by 2s, starting from the number 8.

Praise their effort and celebrate their new "super skip counting power!"

5. Differentiation and Inclusivity

  • For Extra Support:
    • Focus on only one number at a time (e.g., spend the whole lesson on just counting by 2s).
    • Use a number line where the student can physically trace the "jumps" with their finger.
    • Provide a partially completed hundred chart with the first few numbers already colored in as a guide.
  • For an Extra Challenge (Extension):
    • Introduce skip counting by 3s.
    • Ask the student to skip count backwards (e.g., from 20 by 2s).
    • Ask them to start counting from a different number, for example, "Start at 1 and skip count by 2s. What numbers do you get?" (This introduces odd numbers).