Skip-Counting and Number Patterns

Skip-counting is the bridge between counting and multiplication. Counting by 5s is repeated addition of 5 and builds the 5-times table without naming it. The hundred chart is the visual partner: coloured landing squares reveal structural patterns (multiples of 2 form a checkerboard; multiples of 5 form columns) that students revisit in multiplication. Noticing these patterns is the beginning of algebraic thinking about number structure.