11. Skip counting racing game
Another fun way for your child to learn how to skip count is by drawing them a racetrack to play with. Draw circles all along the track, and have your student move their racecar from circle to circle while they skip count.
By the end of the race, they should have a good grasp over what skip counting is and why it’s so useful for addition.
12. Fill the board using skip counting
This idea is a bit more interactive, but is another great way for students to learn the basics behind skip counting. Draw out a large array of small boxes, and write down various different numbers at random in each of these boxes. These numbers should increase by the same number every time so your child can use skip counting to fill in the missing values. This will be a long process, so you can make the board smaller depending on how much time you want your student to spend skip counting with a specific value.
13. Skip count to escape the maze
This activity is similar to the one we just mentioned, but involves drawing your board as a maze that your student will try to escape from! This is a good way to make the activity even more engaging while your student practices their skills. Place the entrance at the beginning of where you want your student to start skip counting, with the exit located at the last number of the skip counting sequence. See how quickly they can escape the maze!
14. Skip counting with money
You can also help your student learn how to skip count with different kinds of money. Give them a few five pound notes and see if they’re able to use skip counting to find the sum of all the notes. Or if you want to up the ante, you can give them tens to count with, and so on. Just make sure you get your money back at the end of the activity!
15. Skip count with dice
Have your student roll dice to decide what number they’ll be skip counting with. This can work with numbers all the way up to 12, and it’s a quick, easy way to get your child to practise their skip counting skills.
Bring a pair of dice on the go and have your child practise skip counting wherever they go, just make sure they don’t get too burnt out!
16. Practise with groups
Collect different objects or items around the house and put them into groups of the same value. Then have your child add up the total number of objects they have using skip counting. This is an easy way to get your child skip counting using things around the house, using anything from socks to toy cars to spare change.
17. Skip counting using shapes
Print off a worksheet of a specific shape—squares, triangles, or circles—and cut them out for your child to use. They can then group these shapes into groups of equal values and use skip counting to try and add them all together. This is a good way to familiarise your learner with different shapes while also allowing them to practise skip counting at the same time.
18. Make a skip counting centipede
Draw a centipede out on a piece of paper and write down different numbers on each of the centipede’s body parts. Make sure each of the body parts increase in number by the same amount, and maybe leave a few of these body parts blank so that your student can fill them out.
This will force them to identify the pattern between each of the numbers using skip counting.
19. Use clothespins to visualise skip counting
Attach clothespins to a measuring tape, making sure there’s an equal space between each of these clothespins. This will form a pattern along the measuring tape that your student can skip count with. These clothespins can be separated by values of two, three, four, five and so on, whatever value you want your student to practise their counting with.
20. Make skip counting kites
This is a fun way to combine arts and crafts with skip counting. Sit down with your student and design your very own styles of kites, and write down sequential numbers on each of them.
These values can increase by ten, twenty or thirty, just make sure there is a definable pattern in place for your student to practise with. They can use these kites to practice their skip counting with a pretty visual!
