Math Magic Time!

How Does Skip-Counting Work?

First comes 1, then comes 2, but wait! In skip-counting, we jump over some numbers. For example:

• If you skip-count by 2s, it goes like this: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10... See how we skipped every other number?
• If you skip-count by 5s, it sounds like this: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25... Big jumps, big fun!

Remember: Skip-counting means adding the same number again and again. Adding again and again makes patterns!

Let’s Try Together!

Imagine you have a toy train track. Each piece is 3 blocks long. If you lay down 4 pieces, how many blocks will your train travel?

We can solve this using skip-counting:

1. Start at 3 (the first piece).
2. Add another 3: 3 + 3 = 6.
3. Add another 3: 6 + 3 = 9.
4. Add one more 3: 9 + 3 = 12.

So, the train travels 12 blocks altogether! Yay!

Tips for Superhero Parents

Teaching skip-counting is as easy as pie when you make it fun:

• Use objects like candies or toys to count together.
• Clap or stomp while saying the numbers out loud.
• Create songs or rhymes: “Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate?”
• Draw a number line and let your child hop along it.

Repetition is key. The more they practice, the better they’ll get!