This skip counting by 2 song is so short & easy to learn! The familiar tune is a portion of She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain When She Comes.

Skip Counting by 2s (mp3)

We practice basic math songs every school year for review, regardless of the child’s grade level. One day, my 3.5 year old just spouted off the first half of this song totally correctly. He couldn’t even rote count to 20 yet, but he’d been hearing his siblings practice the 2s skip counting song since birth and it just kinda came out of him.

Music is such a powerful way to cement concepts into kids’ minds. And skip counting is such an important precursor to learning multiplication tables later on.

Does the preschool child really understand the concept of skip counting yet? Nope!

But, I guarantee that a young child who knows how to skip count by song first will almost instantly understand the concept of skip counting when you introduce it in kindergarten or first grade.

You’ll show them how to count by 2s, 5s, and 10s. You’ll explain a nickel is 5 pennies and we can count nickels by 5 because they’re worth 5 cents, and this lightbulb will go off in their heads.

The child will make the connection between the numbers in this little counting-by-twos-song they learned to the concept they’re practicing & it’ll just make sense.

I know it sounds backwards to teach the songs by rote before the child is ready to actually understand skip counting. But, it’s actually the better teaching order.

It’s so easy for a 3-5 year old child to learn these songs just by listening & singing along. AND it’s easier to learn to skip count in K-1 and multiply in 2nd-3rd grade if you already know the skip counting numbers.

How to Teach Skip Counting by 2s: Step by Step

The best way to teach skip counting by 2 is to learn a combination of a cute rote tune or chant along with games and hands on activities that reinforce the concept.

First, play our counting by 2s song a few times in a row.

Then, practice singing the numbers slowly without the song on. Have the child repeat the numbers after you in the correct order. Help correct pronunciation of larger numbers if it’s age appropriate. Don’t worry too much if the child isn’t old enough to say everything perfectly. They’ll get the hang of it over time.

If the child is old enough to recognize numbers, you could write them all out on a dry erase board or create a number line with sticky notes.

If the child is old enough, you could line up objects in groups of 2s and point to them while the song plays. Explain at the end of the song, we counted all the groups by 2s to find out there are 24 objects!

Skip Counting Practice Games

Math games are a great way to practice repetitive math skills without the child even realizing they’re practicing the skip counting song over and over.

FREEZE – You could also put fewer than 24 objects out in groups of 2s and play Freeze! Just pause the song as soon as it gets to the number of objects that are laid out in front of you. Have the child close their eyes while you lay out, 6 groups of 2, for example. Then have the child open their eyes and start pointing and counting the groups until the song gets to the number 12. Then, quickly pause the song and ask how many counters are in front of them! Kids love these simple, repetitive type of math games.

MISSING NUMBERS – Write each number in the counting by twos song on a post it. Then, remove some of the post its. Play the song and have the child sing along as they’re able. See if they can remember some of the missing numbers. You can also hide the missing numbers somewhere else in the room & see if the child can find each number & put it in the correct spot.

COUNT FEET OR SHOES – If you’re working with a group, have everyone put their feet in a circle or take off their shoes. If you’re homeschooling, grab a bunch of pairs of flip flops! Then, have one child walk from pair to pair singing the skip counting song out loud.

Download the Songs & Cards for Daily Practice

By age 5 or 6, a child might be able to begin following along with the skip counting flashcards. If you’re in a kindergarten or 1st grade or 2nd grade classroom, a flashcards & songs station would be perfect for math centers.

We have all 12 skip counting songs and flashcards on super sale in our shop now! You can just download the songs to your device (or burn a CD if you’re feeling old school) and print the cards off. You can set up a songs practice station in your home or classroom, or just play the songs for fun in the background. We love to play all our memory work songs in the car or during snack time.

Skip counting songs & cards are part of my 1st grader’s independent work list. He loves being able to do this math practice individually and it saves me time since I’m trying to teach 4 levels of math each day.

Even More Ideas

Here are 2 free printable skip counting worksheets with 2s number patterns for kids who are old enough to write numbers. These 2s worksheets provide a fun way to assess an older child’s skill level.

This post has 29+ free resources and activities for practicing skip counting. There are board games, printable worksheets, lacing plate examples, games for small groups, and more. The whole point of the games & math activities is just to provide lots of practice for the various counting songs.

And, don’t forget to grab all the downloadable skip counting songs & flashcards in the shop on sale now!

Learn more about why singing skip counting songs to familiar tunes works or go check out the counting by 8 or counting by 4 songs & activities.