Q: How can I help my child master skip counting?

Skills

Skip counting is a skill that can help children become more confident in mathematical problem solving and in daily tasks such as counting money. Children often begin by skip counting by tens: 0, 10, 20, 30, and so on. In many classrooms, children learn to skip count while looking at a 100 chart. A 100 chart shows the numbers 1 to 100 in ten rows of ten. You can print a 100 chart, then help your child count 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 on the chart, coloring every tenth square until all of the multiples of 10 have been colored. Your child can then practice counting by tens by looking at the chart they have colored. Not only will your child get practice in skip counting, he/she is also likely to see that multiples of ten follow a particular pattern.
Jennie Ito, Ph.D.

Child Development Expert

Jennie Ito is a mother of two and a child development consultant who specializes in children’s play and toys. Before becoming a consultant for LeapFrog, she was an intern at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and later worked as a content expert for the Association of Children’s Museum’s “Playing for Keeps” Play Initiative. Jennie earned her doctorate degree in developmental psychology at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada.