Counting Patterns With 2s

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

2, 4, 6, 8! Who do you appreciate? Skip counting! Skip counting!

Do you know that cheer? Do you appreciate skip counting? You should because it helps you count more quickly and will help you with multiplication when you are older. 2, 4, 6, 8 . . . Do you know which skip counting pattern those numbers make?

 

Skip counting means counting by a number other than 1.

Instead of saying every number, you skip ahead by the same amount each time.

When you count by 2s, you add 2 each time.

Try it!

Start with 0.

0

Now add 2.

2

Add 2 again.

4

Add 2 again.

6

Add 2 again.

8

Add 2 again.

10

You just counted by 2s!

0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

That is much faster than counting every number one at a time.

Let’s look at it another way.

Imagine 10 toy cars need to park in garages. Each garage holds 2 cars.

One garage has 2 cars.

2

Two garages have 4 cars.

2, 4

Three garages have 6 cars.

2, 4, 6

Four garages have 8 cars.

2, 4, 6, 8

Five garages have 10 cars.

2, 4, 6, 8, 10

Skip counting by 2s helps you count pairs quickly.

You can use skip counting by 2s to count:

pairs of shoes

eyes on people or animals

wheels on bicycles

socks

mittens

hands

Here is another way to see the pattern.

Write the numbers 1-10 on paper.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Now circle every second number.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

You should circle:

2, 4, 6, 8, 10

Those numbers make the counting-by-2s pattern.

What comes after 2 when you count by 2s?

4

What comes after 4?

6

What comes after 6?

8

What comes after 8?

10

Great work!

Now try saying the pattern out loud.

2, 4, 6, 8, 10

Try it again while clapping on each number.

2, clap

4, clap

6, clap

8, clap

10, clap

You can even keep going.

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20

That pattern keeps growing because you add 2 every time.

Skip counting is not only for 2s. You can also skip count by 5s, 10s, and many other numbers.

In the Got It? section, you will look for skip-counting patterns with 2s, 5s, and 10s.

Get ready to skip some numbers without skipping the fun. Tiny math joke, big responsibility.