Skip Counting Fun

When we count by 5s, we are adding $5$ every time we say a new number. It is like giving a high-five to every fifth number on the number line! A great way to see this is by looking at the last digit. When you start at $0$, the numbers will always end in either a $5$ or a $0$. This pattern repeats forever: $5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30...$ and so on. This is very helpful when counting nickels or tally marks!

Counting by 10s is even faster! When we count by $10$s starting from a number like $10$, the digit in the tens place goes up by $1$ each time, while the ones place stays the same. For example: $10, 20, 30, 40$. But did you know you can start from any number? If you start at $12$ and count by $10$s, you just change the tens: $12, 22, 32, 42$. The '2' at the end stays exactly where it is!

To reach really big numbers like 1,000, we use our biggest jump: the 100s. This is just like counting $1, 2, 3$, but you add two zeros at the end! When you count by $100$s, the digit in the hundreds place changes. This is the fastest way to count large groups of items, like pages in a thick book or stars in a cartoon sky. The pattern looks like this: $100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1,000$!