Counting in 2s, 5s and 10s – Year 1 maths lesson
Lesson 2 of 18 in the Year 1 maths course
UK version. UK school years, UK spelling and pounds (£). · US Math Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for Year 1 (ages 5–6) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is marked straight away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 15 min homework
- Year
- Year 1 (ages 5–6)
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and this page
- Marked
- Instantly, with explanations
For parents: how to use this lesson
You don't need to know this topic yourself. The lesson explains each step on screen, one tidy step at a time. Every answer is marked straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to mark anything.
- Read what your child will learn and the big ideas together.
- Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
- Let them do the practice on their own. They choose Getting started, On track or Challenge – start on On track and move up after a few right in a row.
- Finish with the exit ticket and the talk question: “Why do all the numbers end in 0 or 5 when we count in 5s from 0?”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (15 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Counting in 1s when the step is 2, 5 or 10. Say the step out loud before each jump: "add 5".
- Losing count when crossing 100. Write the numbers on a number line and point as you go.
Tip for home: Count pairs of shoes in 2s and coins in 5s or 10s together.
What your child will learn
We are learning to count forwards and backwards in steps of 1, 2, 5 and 10 from any number.
Success looks like
- I can count in 2s, 5s and 10s.
- I can count backwards in steps.
- I can find the missing number in a pattern.
Key words
- step
- the amount added or taken away each time
- pattern
- numbers that follow a rule
- forwards
- getting bigger
- backwards
- getting smaller
What to have ready
- Paper and a pencil
- This page on a computer, tablet or phone
- For the hands-on part: Make jumps along a number line with a toy or a finger. Count in 2s with pairs of socks, in 5s with fingers on hands, and in 10s with bundles of straws. No number lines? Draw a number line from 0 to 50 on paper.
The big ideas (for the adult)
Counting in steps means adding the same amount each time: 2, 4, 6, 8 is counting in 2s.
Counting backwards means taking away the same amount each time: 50, 40, 30.
To find a missing number in a pattern, work out the step between the numbers you can see.
The lesson, step by step
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter: quick recall | 5 min | Marked by Classfern |
| Teaching input | 10 min | Not assessed, self-checked |
| Worked examples and guided practice | 9 min | Not assessed, marked by Classfern |
| Independent practice | 15 min | Marked by Classfern |
| Plenary and exit ticket | 6 min | Marked by Classfern, self-checked |
Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are marked by Classfern. Worked examples and teaching are not assessed. The hands-on task and the reflection are self-assessed. Explanations in talk are judged by the parent and not recorded.
The lesson
It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser.
Homework and practice at home
15 minutes: 8 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all marked instantly.
More practice
More Year 1 maths lessons
- Counting objects
- One more, one less, ten more and ten less
- Tens and ones
- Numbers in words
- Comparing numbers
- Number lines
- Number bonds to 10 and 20
- Adding and subtracting
- The equals sign and missing numbers
- Adding and subtracting word problems
- Multiplication and division
- Recognising fractions
- Counting money
- Telling the time
- Measuring length, mass and capacity
- Shapes, position and turns
- Tally charts, pictograms and block diagrams
Curriculum
National Curriculum for England, Year 1: “count to and across 100, forwards and backwards, beginning with 0 or 1, or from any given number”
National Curriculum for England, Year 1: “count, read and write numbers to 100 in numerals; count in multiples of 2s, 5s and 10s”
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.