Count in 2s
Year 1Week 1
Year 1 Counting Worksheets
15 worksheets across 3 weeks
Our free Year 1 Counting worksheets develop essential skip-counting skills for children aged 5-6, covering counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s as required by the England National Curriculum. Skip counting is far more than a simple pattern exercise. It is the foundation upon which children will later build their understanding of multiplication, division, and number relationships. Recognising these number patterns early gives children a significant advantage as they progress through primary mathematics. The 15 worksheets are organised across 3 weeks of structured daily practice. Week 1 focuses exclusively on counting in 2s, helping children recognise the pattern of even numbers and count forwards and backwards in steps of two. Week 2 moves to counting in 5s, reinforcing the connection between groups of five and the five times table. Week 3 brings all three patterns together, with children practising counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s and identifying which pattern a given sequence belongs to. Each worksheet follows our three-section format: fluency practice for speed and accuracy, word problems that set skip counting in real-world scenarios such as counting pairs of socks or groups of coins, and reasoning challenges where children spot errors in sequences or explain the rules behind a pattern. This approach develops not just the ability to recite number patterns but a genuine understanding of how and why these patterns work. Parents can reinforce skip counting through everyday activities such as counting steps in twos when climbing stairs, grouping toys into fives, or counting 10p coins together. Teachers will find these worksheets useful for daily mental maths starters or as consolidation activities following a whole-class counting lesson. By completing these worksheets, children will confidently count forwards and backwards in steps of 2, 5, and 10, recognise and continue number patterns, and apply skip-counting skills to practical problems. These abilities are explicitly required by the National Curriculum and directly support the multiplication and division work that follows in Year 2.
Count in 2s
Week 1
Count in 5s
Week 2
Count in 5s
Year 1Week 2
Count in 5s
Year 1Week 2
Count in 5s
Year 1Week 2
Count in 5s
Year 1Week 2
Count in 5s
Year 1Week 2
Count in 2s, 5s and 10s
Week 3
Count in 2s, 5s and 10s
Year 1Week 3
Count in 2s, 5s and 10s
Year 1Week 3
Count in 2s, 5s and 10s
Year 1Week 3
Count in 2s, 5s and 10s
Year 1Week 3
Count in 2s, 5s and 10s
Year 1Week 3
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s important?
- Counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s builds number pattern recognition and lays the foundation for understanding multiplication. These skip-counting skills are essential for mental arithmetic and are required by the Year 1 national curriculum.
- How do I help my child practise counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s?
- Make skip counting part of your daily routine with simple, playful activities. Count pairs of shoes in twos, fingers on each hand in fives, or 10p coins in tens. Sing counting songs together and use a number line or hundred square to help your child see the patterns visually. Start by counting forwards from zero, then try counting forwards from different starting points. Once your child is confident counting forwards, practise counting backwards as well. Short, regular practice is far more effective than long, infrequent sessions.
- What counting skills are tested in the KS1 SATs?
- The KS1 SATs expect children to count reliably in steps of 2, 5, and 10 from any given number. Questions may ask children to fill in missing numbers in a sequence, identify which numbers are part of a particular counting pattern, or continue a pattern forwards or backwards. Some questions require children to apply skip counting in context, such as working out how many fingers are on a given number of hands. Our worksheets provide thorough preparation for all of these question types.
- How many questions are in each counting worksheet?
- Each worksheet contains between 8 and 12 questions across three sections: fluency, word problems, and reasoning. Fluency questions focus on completing number sequences and filling in missing numbers. Word problems place skip counting in real-life contexts, and reasoning questions ask children to spot errors, compare sequences, or explain patterns. Each worksheet takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete.