Step 29: Skip Counting by 2s II
New connections
Your child started skip counting by 2’s during Stage 2. Their skip counting is now going higher and faster, and it is also now connected with new ideas, such as with multiplying and with even and odd numbers.
Multiplying by 2
For example, multiplying something by 2 means to take that many 2’s. Suppose your child is calculating 5 times 2. This means adding 2 to itself 5 times, which is exactly what your child will get if they skip count by 2’s 5 times starting at 0. Of course, they can also calculate this quantity by doubling the number, in this case 5.
Start anywhere and go up or down
It is important to keep practicing skip counting by 2’s starting anywhere and going up and down. This practice will be surprisingly helpful for adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Get used to doing this practice anytime you have a somewhat large collection of things to count.
Even and odd numbers
An even number is one that can be split in half evenly. It is a quantity that two people can share and have nothing left over. The odd numbers are the other numbers, the numbers that cannot be shared evenly. Even numbers are the numbers you get when you skip count by 2’s starting at 0. Odd numbers are the numbers you get when you skip count by 2’s starting at 1.
Skip count by other numbers
If you like, this is a good time to start skip counting by other numbers. Skip counting by 10’s, 11’s, and 5’s are good starting places.