Learning Multiplication Facts: Skip Counting Strategy

There is not a third grade parent out there who wouldn’t like another tool to help with memorizing multiplication facts, right?

It’s usually a complaint of middle school and high school teachers that their struggling students lack basic math facts, so it’s best to just have a way to get facts taken care of in elementary school. After all, math is just going to get progressively more difficult each school year.

If you have a third grader who is just having to start learning multiplication facts—or even an older child who can’t seem to remember the facts—skip counting will help.

What is skip counting? It is simply saying the multiples of a number in order. Chances are, you learned to skip count by 2s, 5s, and 10s when you were in school—maybe even 100s!

However, consider teaching your child how to skip count by other numbers as well. A child who can count by 3s up to 3 x 12 (36) can answer the 3s multiplication facts. My children learn how to skip count by 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, 11s, 12s (and more). It’s not so bad if you can sing them with music.

For example, if a fact like 3 x 7 or 7 x 3 isn’t memorized yet, the answer can be found by skip counting by 3s or 7s. My third grader prefers 3s since they are currently easier. He uses seven fingers to count, “3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 , 21” and lands on the answer, 21. If he knew the 7s song better, he could skip count using three fingers, “7, 14, 21" and still get the same answer.

Now, I never was a fan of counting on fingers, but it sure beats guessing at random! Not to mention, it can be pretty fast too. I’ve actually seen how the more math practice the child gets, the more likely they will just automatically know it without having to skip count. So, I’m not worried.

So where can you get skip counting songs?

Here is a link on Apple Music from a search. Feel free to search on YouTube as well. I like it if the song goes up to the x12s facts. Find songs your child can easily memorize and allow your child to listen in the bedroom at night or in the car on the go. Something that is short and simple (more like a jingle) will save you time, rather than a full 2 minute song. You can even print out a multiplication table as a visual to help them learn skip counting faster.

This strategy doesn’t stop

with multiplication by the way!

—We are actively working on division word problems or missing factor problems like:

1. Bobby had a rope 24 ft. long and cut it into 4 equal pieces.

How long was each piece?

or

2. 8 x ___= 72

My son still uses skip counting on the ones that he doesn’t have memorized yet.

Furthermore, when children are asked to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators, skip counting helps them find the LEAST COMMON MULTIPLE.

3. 1/3. + 5/6. “3, 6, 9. . .” and “6, 12, 18…” 6 is the LCM

1/3 is the same as 2/6, so 5/6 added to it makes 7/6 (or 1 and 1/6).

When fractions need reducing, skip counting can help finding the GREATEST COMMON FACTOR.

4. Simplify 6/15. Skip counting 6s reveals that 6 is not a factor of 15 and 15 is not a multiple of 6. But, skip counting by 3 reveals that both numbers are multiples of 3 and that 3 is the GREATEST COMMON FACTOR. Divide by 3/3 and it is reduced to 2/5.

So to sum up:

Your child learns to skip count with songs.

You show your child how to answer multiplication and division problems with fingers and skip counting.

Eventually, with enough practice your child is likely to not need fingers or skip counting.

The point of math is to get an accurate answer consistently. If skip counting helps, why not try it?

Do you have a recommendation for skip counting songs?

Leave it in the comments below or email me: Rebecca@TheParentTeacherBridge.com