Which steps are on the sheet?

Counting by 2, by 5, and by 10, up to 100, and the same three steps counting backward. Each sheet mixes them so your child has to read the step every time.

Do the patterns always start at 0?

No. Many start at numbers like 31 or 28, which is what makes the sheet practice rather than recitation. Counting by 2 from 31 gives 33, 35, 37.

How does this connect to later math?

Skip counting by 2, 5 and 10 is the first form of the multiplication tables, and the backward patterns are the first form of repeated subtraction. Second grade extends the same idea to 1,000.

1st grade skip counting to 100

1st grade skip counting to 100 worksheets

First grade skip counting to 100: ten patterns per sheet, counting by 2s, 5s, or 10s, forward and backward, from starting points that are not always 0. Three numbers are given, one is missing, and two more follow, so your child has to find the step and use it in both directions.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 1.NBT.A.1.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of problems you'll get

Complete every pattern. Use the stated counting step when given.

Count by 2. 1, 3, , 7, 9
Answer: 5
Count by -2. 76, 74, , 70, 68
Answer: 72
Count by 5. 31, 36, , 46, 51
Answer: 41

Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on a 1st grade sheet

The sample sheet above has 10 problems. Its answers run from 5 to 81.

Skip count to 100. Complete every pattern. Use the stated counting step when given. 10 problems per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.

How to teach this

Cover the boxed number and ask what the pattern is doing before your child writes anything: by how much, and up or down. Then say the given numbers aloud in rhythm and let the missing one fall into place. A hundreds chart beside the sheet helps for the first few; counting by 10s is one column, counting by 5s is two, and counting by 2s from an odd number stays on the odd numbers. The backward patterns are the ones to watch. Have your child read a downward pattern aloud twice before filling it in.

Watch for: Kids see the first number and count on by 1 instead of by the step, so 31, 36, __ gets 37. Ask what changed between the two numbers you can see. Kids know 2, 4, 6, 8 by heart but lose the pattern from an odd start like 31, 33, 35. The step is still 2; the numbers just end in odd digits. When the pattern counts down, kids keep adding. Point at the arrow of the numbers: are they getting bigger or smaller?

Common questions about 1st grade skip counting to 100

Which steps are on the sheet?: Counting by 2, by 5, and by 10, up to 100, and the same three steps counting backward. Each sheet mixes them so your child has to read the step every time.
Do the patterns always start at 0?: No. Many start at numbers like 31 or 28, which is what makes the sheet practice rather than recitation. Counting by 2 from 31 gives 33, 35, 37.
How does this connect to later math?: Skip counting by 2, 5 and 10 is the first form of the multiplication tables, and the backward patterns are the first form of repeated subtraction. Second grade extends the same idea to 1,000.

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Aligned to Common Core 1.NBT.A.1. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 240, updated September 2026.

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