I've got some kids that totally need practice counting by 5s!
This is a pretty important math concept, as it is needed to count money as well as tell time. As they get older, it will help with multiplication.
Plus, it's in the Common Core State Standards for second grade: CCSS.Math.Content 2 NBT.A.2: Count within 1000; skip count by 5s, 10s, and 100s.
Yes, that does say within 1,000! That means they should be able to start at 825 and keep going by 5s through 1,000!
That's why I brainstormed this list of
Five Ways to Practice Counting by Fives!
1. Here is a YouTube Video that's great! It combines music, rhythm, visuals, and fun! That's a brain-based recipe for learning!
Counting by Fives Song by Have Fun Learning
I'll bet if you googled "counting by 5s" on YouTube, you'd find plenty more!
2. Learning Games! I posted about this game just the other day. It's great for learning any sequence that needs to be memorized. To download the directions, explore the image for the link, or go here: How to Play Countdown.
3. Let them see the pattern! I like to have loads of laminated copies of number grids around the room for the kids to look at, talk about, and mark up with their wipe-off markers. They can call out the numbers by 5s as they circle them. It really helps those visual kids to see the patterns. (Brain research tells us ALL students benefit from visuals! You can download a color-coded number grid here: Color Coded Number Grid.(or see the image.) Plus you can download your color-coded grid to 1,000 grid here: Numbers 0 - 1,000.
4. Get physical - and funny! Kids need to move, and we know that movement and exercise help bring oxygen to the brain, therefore helping the memory! We do loads of movement while counting, such as follow the leader, brain gym exercises, jumping jacks, push-ups, and just about anything we can think of to get the counting to be automatic. Since laughter also brings oxygen to the brain, it's fun to do the counting with a funny voice. For some reason, I often break into a southern accent while counting by 5s, and the kids giggle like crazy and join right in! (Waving y'all to all my southern friends... feel free to break into a Boston accent with your kids!)
5. Don't stop at 100, and leave out the "and"! I know, this isn't actually a 5th idea, but it's a pet peeve of mine. My second graders are learning that counting by 5s keeps going after 100! Those first 2 rows after 100 on the hundred grid are the toughest for the kids to learn, so it's important to go at least past 120! Did you realize the proper way to say 105 is "one hundred five" without the word and. Technically, the word "and" stands for the decimal point, so "one hundred and five" really means 100.5. (OK, you'd really say "one hundred and five-tenths", but let's get the kids in the right habit now so the kids won't get confused when they learn decimals!)
How do you practice counting by 5s with your students?
