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Helping Hands for Skip Counting

📝 This post, Helping Hands for Skip Counting, was originally published in 2013 and has been updated with new information and resources.

I was going through boxes of teaching materials from my pre-kids teaching days when I came across a package of handprint cutouts I had bought years earlier. I remember picking them up because I thought I could use them someday, but honestly, I had no idea what I was going to use them for!

It wasn’t until after I returned to the classroom that inspiration finally struck. Those simple handprints became one of my go-to visual tools for teaching skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s.fbv

Why Teach Skip Counting?

Skip counting is much more than memorizing a sequence of numbers. It helps children recognize number patterns, strengthens number sense, and builds the foundation for multiplication and division.

As students become fluent skip counters, they’re able to solve math problems more efficiently, recognize patterns more quickly, and develop stronger mental math skills. Skip counting is one of those essential math skills that pays off year after year.

How to Make the Skip Counting Hands

These skip counting hands are simple to make and can be used again and again.

Materials Needed

✔️Colorful handprint cutouts (or make your own by tracing a child’s hand onto cardstock)

✔️Scissors

✔️Glue

✔️Marker

💡Teacher Tip: If you don’t have handprint cutouts, simply trace your child’s or students’ hands onto colorful cardstock and cut them out.

Skip Counting by 2s

To create the counting-by-2s hands, glue down the thumb, ring finger, and pinky on each hand so only two fingers remain standing.

Write the skip counting numbers (2, 4, 6, 8…) on the palm of each hand and write the counting numbers (1, 2, 3, 4…) on the two raised fingers.

This gives children a visual reminder that every two counting numbers equal the next number in the skip counting sequence.

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Skip Counting by 5s

For the 5s hands, leave the hand open and write the skip counting numbers (5, 10, 15, 20…) on the palms. Then write the counting numbers (1, 2, 3, 4…) on the fingers.

Students can quickly see that each hand represents another group of five.

Skip Counting by 10s

You can also use the hands to teach counting by 10s.

Place two of the 5s hands together so students see two groups of five making ten. Continue pairing the hands (15 and 20, 25 and 30, 35 and 40, and so on) to reinforce counting by tens.

Although this version isn’t quite as intuitive as the others, it still provides students with another visual way to see how numbers grow by tens.

Ways to Use Your Helping Hands

Once you’ve made your helping hands, there are so many ways to use them!

💚 Put the hands in order.
Mix up the hands and have students place them in the correct skip counting sequence.

💚 Find the missing number.
Turn one or more hands upside down and have students figure out which numbers are missing.

💚 Cover the answers.
Use sticky notes to cover either the number on the palm or one or two numbers on the fingers. Students write the missing numbers on the sticky note before checking their answers.

💚 Build the pattern together.
Lay all of the hands on the table out of order. Begin with the first hand and have students find the next number in the sequence until all of the hands have been placed correctly.

💚 Count without talking.
Repeat the activity above, but challenge students to complete the sequence silently. This encourages students to visualize the counting pattern instead of relying only on reciting it aloud.

Tips for Teaching

Like most math skills, skip counting develops over time. Some children will master it quickly, while others need lots of hands-on practice and repetition.

As students become more confident, encourage them to:

💡Skip count starting from numbers other than zero.

💡Skip count forward and backward.

💡Explain the patterns they notice.

💡Connect skip counting to multiplication and repeated addition.

Remember that every child develops number sense at their own pace. Activities like these helping hands give students a concrete, visual way to explore skip counting while making math feel fun and approachable.

Grab Your FREE Practice Pages!

Want to give your students even more skip counting practice? Download these FREE Skip Counting Practice Pages for counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s.

Instead of always starting at zero, students practice skip counting from a variety of starting numbers while looking for patterns and strengthening number sense. For extra support, have students place counters on each hand before coloring the skip counting sequence.

💚 Grab your FREE Skip Counting Practice Pages here!

Picture Books about Skip Counting

Looking for a fun way to introduce or reinforce skip counting? Pair your helping hands with a great picture book! Reading a story before practicing math helps students see patterns in a new way and makes learning even more memorable.

📚 Lots and Lots of Ocelots: A Skip Counting Book by Vicky Fang

This playful rhyming picture book introduces skip counting by 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s using groups of silly animals. The bright illustrations and predictable patterns make it a wonderful read-aloud before practicing with your helping hands. It even includes additional skip counting activities at the end of the book. 

📚 Two Ways to Count to Ten: A Liberian Folktale by Ruby Dee

This beautifully retold African folktale naturally incorporates counting by tens as the animals compete to become the next king. It’s a wonderful way to connect skip counting with literature while introducing students to a traditional folktale from another culture. 

I think these two books complement your activity nicely—Lots and Lots of Ocelots explicitly teaches skip counting, while Two Ways to Count to Ten shows skip counting used naturally within a story. They give teachers two very different ways to introduce the concept before pulling out the helping hands. 💚

Love the FREE Printable?

I hope your students enjoy these FREE Skip Counting Practice Pages! If you’re looking for even more hands-on skip counting activities, games, and printables, be sure to check out my complete Skip Counting Activities resource. It’s filled with engaging ways to help students build skip counting fluency and strengthen number sense.

👉 Explore the complete Skip Counting resource here!