All aboard the Skip Counting Train

A kangaroo doesn't walk, it jumps. Skip counting works the same way: 2, 4, 6, 8 instead of 1, 2, 3, 4.

It looks like a small thing, but skip counting is how most children first meet multiplication without realising it. Count in fives four times and you've just worked out 5 × 4. Count in tens and you're halfway to understanding place value. It's one of those quiet skills that unlocks a lot later on.

The game

KidsZone turns this into a train. In the Skip Counting Train, numbered carriages are linked together behind a little red engine. Some carriages have numbers, and some are empty. Your child works out the missing numbers and types them on the number pad.

In the screenshot, the carriages read 0, 2, ?, 6, 8, ?, 12, 14. Your child has to see that the train is counting in twos, and fill in 4 and 10. To do that, they need to spot the pattern, not just remember a song. That's real mathematical thinking.

Children find the train charming. There's something satisfying about filling in a carriage and watching the train become complete.

Three levels

• 2s, 5s, 10s: the easiest and most useful patterns
• 3s and 4s: trickier, and a great lead-in to the 3 and 4 times tables
• Big and back: counting with bigger numbers and backwards, which is harder than it sounds

Counting backwards in steps is especially valuable. It's the foundation for subtraction and, later, division.

Pair it with the Number Chart

Right next to it in the School Skills section is the Number Chart. When children look at a hundred-chart after skip counting, patterns suddenly jump out. Every number ending in 0 lines up in one column. The fives make two neat stripes. The twos fill every other square.

That moment, when a child says "wait, they're all in a line!", is worth more than any amount of memorising.

Take it outside

Skip counting works brilliantly away from the screen too:

• Count stairs in twos as you climb them.
• Count pairs of shoes by the door: 2, 4, 6.
• Count coins in fives or tens.
• Clap in threes while walking.

Movement helps the pattern stick. Then come back to the train and see how much faster your child fills the gaps.

From skip counting to tables

Here's a nice moment to watch for. Once your child can skip count in fives comfortably, ask them: "What's three jumps of five?" They'll count 5, 10, 15 and give you the answer. Then tell them that's what 3 × 5 means. For many children, that's the moment multiplication stops being a mystery. Tables become a shortcut for something they already know how to do, not a list to memorise.

Ride the Skip Counting Train on KidsZone.