10 Ways to Work on Counting by 2

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My students have been hard at work learning how to count by 2.  I have been polishing up my count by 2 resources and have recently posted them in a money saving bundle on TPT.  To help you get your kids counting by 2's with fluency, here are 10 ways to work on this important skill.                                                                                                    

1) Fairies in the Fog: 2's

This is a fun game to do on a SMART board or projector but also works well on any computer.  Kids find and touch or click on the missing number.  The music pulls kids in and it gets harder as kids get more right.  Check it out over at ICT games!

2) Number Puzzles

     These count by 2 puzzles make a great math center or an activity for early finishers.  They all include frog math pictures and count by 2 numbers along the bottom.  The picture supports kids who are still developing their fluency with counting by 2’s and helps students know when they have the puzzle in the right order.  When students finish putting the puzzle in order and claim to be done, I have them read the count by 2 numbers across the bottom to another student.  To clean up, I have them put all the puzzle pieces into a standard business envelope.  

     Three of these puzzles start at 2 and go to 30 while the other two start at higher count by 2 numbers.  This allows me to differentiate the center for students who are ready for a challenge.

     I find puzzles like these work much better if they are laminated.  I use the TL901 from Scotch which works great and is very inexpensive.    If you don’t have access to a laminator, print these on card stock for best results.  

You can grab a free Frog Count by 2 Puzzle here!

3) You Tube Songs and Videos

You Tube is a great way to give your students a movement break between centers or during transition times.  Get your kids up and out of their chairs singing and dancing and practicing skip counting. 

4) Count by 2 Bingo

     This count by 2 bingo game makes a great whole group, small group or partner activity.  Simple cut and copy the bingo cards and you are ready to go!   This game is fun to play as a whole class and then add to your math stations.  I also make a few sets up in top loading folders for kids to take home for extra practice.  It is a great game for home because most families already know how to play Bingo!

This game is available as part of my Count by 2 resources bundle.  

5) Worksheets

Math is more fun with games and manipulatives but of course their comes a time when a teacher needs students to have a little bit of written practice, some homework or some kind of assessment.  My count by 2 worksheets offer a little something for everyone.  There are 5 different options for you to select from for your students.  They can count by 2’s to 30 or 50 or even 120.  If you want students to have more practice but don’t want to invest a lot of time into writing the numbers, there is even a cut and paste activity you could choose.  These will work as assessments, homework or just some written practice for this important skill.

5 different options for worksheets are included in the bundle.  You can try this fun Cut and Glue activity for free!

6) Fishy Counting

Another great game for the SMART board or individual computers, fishy counting is a fun way for kids to practice counting by 2's up to 20.  Find the fish that comes next in the count by 2 sequence and click on it!

Try fishy counting over at ICT games

7) Count by 2 Base 10 Cards

This is one hard working set of cards!  Here are a few of the many things you can do with these cards. 

1)Put them in order face up and have kids practice counting by 2’s.  As they gain fluency, flip some of the cards over so they can’t read the numbers.  The ultimate goal here is to have them count by 2’s without seeing the numbers so keep working on it until they can.

2)Pass out a card to each student in your class.  Have them get in order from smallest to largest.  Practice counting by 2’s together.

3)Give students a stack of these cards all mixed up.  Have them put them in order from least to greatest.

These cards are included in my Count by 2's bundle!

8) Count by 2 Missing Number Strips

This is one of my favorite games to use in math centers because it is so easy to differentiate.  16 different number strips are included and no matter where in the count by 2 sequence your students need work on, there is a missing number strip or two that will help.  I know kids really understand a counting skill when they can start and stop anywhere in the sequence.  Having opportunities to fill in the missing number in this sequence will lead to a better understanding latter on when they are working with more complex number patterns. 

Included in my Count by 2 bundle!

9) Children's Literature

I love including literature in my math lessons and counting by 2 is no exception.  My favorite book for counting by 2's is: 

What Comes in 2's, 3's & 4's?

Reading this story with my students helps me provide a context as to what comes in 2's and why it is important to be able to count this way.  

10) Memory

     I like when I can prep something once and use it in more than 1 way.  This activity uses the bingo cards and the first 2 pages of the base 10 count by 2 cards.  There are several ways to play this depending on your students’ ability to count by 2’s and how familiar they are with matching games.   You can also change the rules depending on if you want to use it for whole group, small group, partner or individual practice.

Option 1: Place the base 10 cards from 2-32 out where you can see them all.  Make a stack of the bingo cards.  Flip one bingo card over at a time and find the matching base 10 card.

Option 2: Shuffle some or all of the cards together making sure you have included all matches.  Place cards in an array and play memory.  If you print the cards on two different colors, they will turn over one of each color looking for matches.

Option 3: Use the cards with the whole class by handing out cards to students and having them find their match.   Have students with matching cards stand together shoulder to shoulder and check for accuracy.  Then place matches in pocket chart and talk about how kids knew who their match was. 

How do you work on skip counting with your students?  Please respond in the comments below!