Counting by 10s Worksheet

Counting by 10s is one of the easiest and most useful skip counting patterns for young learners. This free printable worksheet gives kindergarten through second grade students plenty of practice with the sequence 10, 20, 30, 40 and all the way up to 100 and beyond. Mastering this pattern is the first step toward understanding place value, our base-ten number system, and how larger numbers are structured.

What Does This Worksheet Cover?

This worksheet includes several types of skip counting exercises centered on multiples of ten. Students will fill in missing numbers in counting sequences, continue patterns that extend past 100, and identify which numbers belong in the counting-by-10s sequence and which do not. Some exercises start at zero and count forward, while others begin at different starting points such as 30 or 50 to ensure children can jump into the sequence at any point. The worksheet also includes reverse counting challenges where students count backward by 10s from a given number.

Why Counting by 10s Matters

Our entire number system is built on groups of ten. When children internalize skip counting by 10s, they gain an intuitive understanding of how tens and ones work together to form numbers. This skill is essential for adding and subtracting multiples of ten mentally, understanding money (counting dimes), reading measurement tools, and eventually working with larger numbers in the hundreds and thousands. Students who can confidently count by 10s also find counting by 5s and counting by 2s easier because they already understand the concept of skip counting.

How to Use This Worksheet

• Count objects in groups: Gather a collection of small items like beans or buttons. Have your child sort them into groups of ten, then count the groups by tens to find the total.
• Use dimes: Give your child a handful of dimes and have them count the total value by tens. This makes skip counting practical and engaging.
• Number line jumps: Draw a number line from 0 to 100 and have your child hop a small toy along it, landing on every tenth number while saying the count aloud.
• Connect to place value: As your child counts by 10s, point out that only the tens digit changes while the ones digit stays at zero. This observation is a powerful place value lesson.

Tips for Parents and Educators

Most children find counting by 10s one of the easier skip counting patterns because the number always ends in zero. Use this confidence to introduce more challenging activities, such as counting by 10s starting from a number other than zero (for example, 3, 13, 23, 33). This extension exercise builds deeper place value understanding and prepares students for addition within 20 and mental math strategies. Keep practice sessions short and positive, aiming for five to ten minutes at a time.