Free skip counting and multiplication songs from The Math Crew, with a picture for every number, plus free sing-along books and printables.
The Math Crew sings a song for every skip counting number. Each count comes with a picture that shows exactly what the number means: two hands, three wheels on a trike, four leaves on a clover, eight legs on a spider. Kids see the math while they sing it, which makes skip counting stick and builds the base for the times tables.
Every song is free to watch. Each one also gets a free Sing-Along book kids can flip through while the song plays, and a printable to practice with.
Tap a song to play it right here. Each card lists the skip counting pattern and the times table it teaches.
Two hands, four feet, six legs on a bug, eight legs on a spider, a dozen eggs in pairs and more.
Count by 2s: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24
Three scoops on a cone, three wheels on a trike, three lights on a traffic light, three leaves on a clover.
Count by 3s: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36
Four-leaf clovers, cupcakes in boxes, eggs in nests, tulips, balloons, crayons and muffins, four at a time.
Count by 4s: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48
Five fingers on a hand, five arms on a starfish, five petals on a flower, five apples in a crate.
Count by 5s: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60
Six eggs in a carton, six dots on a die, six legs on an ant, six points on a snowflake.
Count by 6s: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, 66, 72
Seven cups to fill, ladybugs with seven spots, xylophones with seven bars, rockets with seven windows.
Count by 7s: 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, 77, 84
Eight arms on an octopus, eight legs on a spider, eight crayons in a box, eight slices of pizza.
Count by 8s: 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72, 80, 88, 96
Coming soon: skip counting by 9s, 10s, 11s and 12s.
Play all the skip counting songs on YouTube
I started writing these songs to help my daughter learn her multiplication tables. The 7s song is her favorite, and once she knew it, counting by 7s became easy for her. She loves the 9s song too, which is coming to this page next.
The 7s are the table most kids find hardest. If a song can make the 7s feel easy, it can do the same for every number, so the Math Crew has a song for each one.
Clarissa, creator of The Math Crew
Eleven friends who sing, count and find math everywhere they go.
Skip counting means counting forward by the same number each time instead of by ones. Counting by 2s goes 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Counting by 5s goes 5, 10, 15, 20. Each number you say is the next jump of the same size.
It is one of the first big ideas in early math. Kids usually start with 2s, 5s and 10s in kindergarten and first grade, then add 3s and 4s and the rest of the numbers in second and third grade, when multiplication begins.
Every skip count is a times table in disguise. If you skip count by 3 four times (3, 6, 9, 12), you land on 12, which is the same as 3 x 4 = 12. Kids who can skip count quickly can work out any fact they forget by counting up, which is why so many teachers use skip counting songs before times table drills.
Most kids learn to skip count by 2s, 5s and 10s first, because those patterns are easy to hear and see. After that, 3s and 4s, then 6s, 7s and 8s, which are the hardest times tables for most kids. That is the order the Math Crew songs follow.
Most kids start skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s in kindergarten or first grade. Skip counting by 3s, 4s and higher numbers usually comes in second and third grade, right before and alongside multiplication.
Not quite, but they are close cousins. Skip counting lists the answers of a times table in order (3, 6, 9, 12), and multiplication tells you how many jumps you made (3 x 4 = 12). Skip counting is the bridge into multiplication.
Yes. A steady beat and a tune make a long list of numbers easier to remember, and kids replay songs on their own. The Math Crew songs also show a picture for every number, so kids connect the words to real groups of things.
Yes. Every song is free on YouTube and on this page, and the Sing-Along books are free downloads. The printed Math Crew picture books are for families who want a book to hold.
A song turns a long list of numbers into something kids can hum. The beat keeps the numbers in order, the tune makes them easy to recall, and kids sing songs over and over on their own, which is exactly the practice times tables need. When a fact slips away, kids can sing up to it instead of guessing.
For most kids it is 7s and 8s, because the pattern is harder to hear. Slow the song down, count real groups, and practice a few numbers at a time.
Math stories kids can touch, count and sing along with, printed as real picture books. More are on the way, one for every song.
The Math Crew comes from KidLore Books, where kids write the story and we publish it as a real printed picture book. Every book comes with a Certificate of Authorship.
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Turn a pile of your child's drawings into a 12 page storybook.
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New skip counting songs, free sing-along books and printables, sent to a grown-up's inbox.
The Math Crew songs and books are written by Clarissa Guyton, a mom with a master's degree in math education, for KidLore Books.
