Christmas Skip Counting Activities {FREE}
Skip counting is a key math skill that can be tricky for some students to grasp. It’s important to give your kids many opportunities to practice this concept (especially in Kindergarten and 1st grade) because it leads naturally into multiplication. Furthermore, skip counting helps students see patterns in numbers. Being able to quickly recite and recall skip counting facts is so beneficial! This is especially true when they start learning more advanced skills in upper elementary. We know that coming up with effective and engaging skip counting activities can be time consuming for busy teachers. But don’t sweat it because we’ve got you covered! Keep on reading for access to our FREE Christmas skip counting activities and other ideas to help bring this concept to life in your classroom.
Christmas Skip Counting Craft & Printables
Once you’ve introduced this skill, you can use our Christmas skip counting activities for extra practice and review! Our count by 2s printable has students skip count by 2s to 20 using a cute little elf theme. There is also a similar printable for skip counting by 10s – but this time counting to 100 with a gingerbread theme! You will notice that some of the spaces in these printables are filled out to keep students on track. This gives them a way to check their work as they go without having to have the teacher point out if they are filling in the boxes correctly.
We also have a very special retro craft that I’m sure you will remember from your school days! Skip counting by 5s to fill in Santa’s beard is a classic holiday craft that never gets old. For this craft, students will need:
- crayons or markers
- cotton balls
- glue
- Santa template
To complete this craft you will give each student a Santa face template. Have them color it! Then, tell them that each cotton ball represents the number 5. Have students place one cotton ball on each circle, counting by 5 as they glue each cotton ball in place. By the end of the activity, students will have skip counted by 5s to 100!
Finally, you can check their understanding of this concept with our Christmas skip count assessment page. You can quickly assess their knowledge by seeing if your learners know the basics when it comes to counting by 2s, 5s and 10s!
Ways to Extend the Skip Counting Fun!
What are some other ways to incorporate this skill into your classroom? We love these great read-aloud books:
- 100th Day Worries by Margery Cuyler
- One Hundred Hungry Ants by Elinor J. Pinczes
- Lots of Ladybugs!: Counting by Fives by Michael Dahl
- Count on Pablo by Barbara deRubertis
Also, have students group objects whenever possible. This will get them ready for any upcoming 100th Day projects that you may have waiting for them when they return from Winter break. Another fun way to practice this skill is with money! Nickels and dimes make great skip counting tools while getting in money practice too.
Ready to get started on some skip counting fun? Click on the button below for your instant download. Happy Holidays!
Don’t forget to check out even more holiday FREEBIES that your students will love.
