Chapter 3 • AC9M1N03

Year 1 Skip Counting and Grouping Activities

Develop efficient counting strategies with engaging Year 1 Skip Counting and Grouping activities and printable worksheets aligned to Australian Curriculum AC9M1N03. Students learn to count collections to at least 120 by grouping objects into equal groups, skip counting by 5s and 10s, and connecting grouped materials to tens and ones.

View Teacher Guide Explore Activities View Resources

About This Year 1 Maths Topic

Counting large collections one object at a time can be slow and difficult. In Year 1, students learn more efficient ways to quantify collections by grouping objects into equal groups and using skip counting.

Students organise collections into groups of 5 or 10, then count the groups using repeated number sequences. They connect each group of 10 to the tens digit and any leftover objects to the ones digit.

These strategies help students understand place value and build fluency with skip counting. They also prepare students for later work with multiplication, division and money.

Practical contexts may include counting pencils, classroom materials, pictures, natural objects and Australian one-dollar coins arranged into groups or stacks of 10.

These activities support the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 content descriptor AC9M1N03 and its associated elaborations.

Australian Curriculum Alignment

AC9M1N03

Quantify sets of objects, to at least 120, by partitioning collections into equal groups using number knowledge and skip counting.

AC9M1N03_E1

Count large collections using groups of 5 or 10 and skip counting to determine the total. Record the amount and connect the digits in the number to the grouped materials when using groups of 10.

AC9M1N03_E2

Count collections such as pencils or images of birds by grouping them into tens for efficient counting and connecting the digits in the total to the groups of tens and leftover ones.

AC9M1N03_E3

Count a large collection of Australian one-dollar coins by stacking them into piles of 10, skip counting in tens and adding any leftover coins to determine the total value.

Learning Intentions

Students will learn to:

  • quantify collections to at least 120;
  • organise objects into equal groups;
  • group collections into 5s and 10s;
  • skip count by 5s and 10s;
  • use grouping to count efficiently;
  • identify tens and leftover ones in a collection;
  • connect grouped materials to written numerals;
  • record the total number of objects;
  • count Australian one-dollar coins in groups of 10;
  • explain why grouping is more efficient than counting by ones.

Student Success Criteria

I can organise objects into equal groups.

I can group objects into 5s.

I can group objects into 10s.

I can skip count by 5s.

I can skip count by 10s.

I can count the leftover ones.

I can connect groups of 10 to the tens digit.

I can record the total number of objects.

I can count one-dollar coins in stacks of 10.

I can explain how grouping helped me count.

Key Vocabulary

groupequal groupscollectionquantify skip countfivestensones leftovertotalefficientplace value digitstackcountrecord

Teacher Guide

Recommended Materials

  • counters, buttons, cubes or bottle caps;
  • bundled sticks or popsticks;
  • ten-frames and five-frames;
  • sorting trays, hoops or cups;
  • rubber bands for bundling groups of 10;
  • number cards and skip-counting charts;
  • place value mats;
  • collections of pencils, blocks or classroom objects;
  • picture cards showing large collections;
  • play Australian one-dollar coins;
  • small containers for coin stacks;
  • mini whiteboards and markers.

Suggested Teaching Sequence

  1. Begin by counting a small collection one object at a time.
  2. Compare this with arranging the same collection into equal groups.
  3. Introduce grouping by 5 using five-frames or small trays.
  4. Practise skip counting by 5s to determine the total.
  5. Introduce groups of 10 using ten-frames, bundles or cups.
  6. Connect each complete group of 10 to one ten in the written numeral.
  7. Count any leftover objects as ones.
  8. Record the number using tens and ones language.
  9. Apply the strategy to classroom collections and images.
  10. Use one-dollar coins to practise grouping, skip counting and determining total value.

Teacher Questions

  • How could we organise these objects to count them quickly?
  • Can you make equal groups?
  • How many objects are in each group?
  • How many complete groups are there?
  • Can we skip count the groups?
  • How many objects are left over?
  • How many tens are there?
  • How many ones are there?
  • What total does that make?
  • How does the numeral match the grouped materials?
  • Which method was faster: counting by ones or grouping?
  • How many dollars are in these stacks of coins?

Common Misconceptions

Making groups with different numbers of objects

Ask students to check each group by counting the objects in it. Use frames or trays to support equal grouping.

Counting the groups but forgetting the group size

Emphasise that 4 groups of 10 means 10, 20, 30, 40, not a total of 4.

Ignoring leftover objects

Separate the complete groups from the leftovers and count the leftover objects after skip counting the groups.

Confusing the tens and ones digits

Place complete groups of 10 in the tens column and leftover objects in the ones column before writing the numeral.

Losing track while skip counting

Touch or move one group for each number said. Use a visual skip-counting sequence until fluency improves.

Counting coin stacks as single dollars

Reinforce that each stack contains 10 one-dollar coins and therefore represents 10 dollars.

Save Time With Ready-to-Use Resources Save time, get these resources printed and arranged, and have them delivered to your doorstep by Amazon. Explore the options

Year 1 Skip Counting and Grouping Activities

Activity 1: Count It Two Ways

Give students a large collection of counters. First count the objects one by one, then reorganise them into groups of 5 or 10.

Compare the two methods and discuss which was more efficient.

Curriculum connection: AC9M1N03

Activity 2: Group into Fives

Students place objects into five-frames or groups of 5 and skip count the completed groups.

Count any leftover objects and record the total.

Curriculum connection: AC9M1N03_E1

Activity 3: Group into Tens

Provide a large collection of objects. Students organise the collection into groups of 10 using cups, trays or bundles.

Skip count the tens, then add the leftover ones.

Curriculum connection: AC9M1N03_E1

Activity 4: Connect the Groups to the Numeral

After grouping a collection into tens and ones, students write the total and explain how each digit matches the materials.

For example, 47 represents 4 groups of 10 and 7 leftover ones.

Curriculum connection: AC9M1N03_E1

Activity 5: Pencil Collection Count

Count a classroom collection of pencils by placing them into bundles of 10.

Students record the number of tens, the leftover ones and the total quantity.

Curriculum connection: AC9M1N03_E2

Activity 6: Birds in the Tree

Use a picture containing a large number of birds. Students circle or mark groups of 10, then count the remaining birds.

Record the total using a tens-and-ones representation.

Curriculum connection: AC9M1N03_E2

Activity 7: Skip-Counting Relay

Arrange equal groups around the room. Students move from group to group, saying the next number in the skip-counting sequence.

Use groups of 5 first, then groups of 10.

Curriculum connection: AC9M1N03

Activity 8: Mystery Collection

Give clues such as, “There are 6 groups of 10 and 4 leftover objects.” Students identify the total and build the collection.

Reverse the activity by showing the materials and asking students to write the clue.

Curriculum connection: AC9M1N03

Activity 9: Stack the Dollar Coins

Give students a collection of play Australian one-dollar coins. Students stack the coins into piles of 10.

Skip count the stacks in tens, then add any leftover coins to determine the total value.

Curriculum connection: AC9M1N03_E3

Activity 10: Classroom Collection Investigation

Choose a large classroom collection such as blocks, books, lids or craft sticks.

Students decide whether grouping by 5 or 10 would be more useful, then count and record the total.

Curriculum connection: AC9M1N03

Differentiation

Support

  • begin with collections below 30;
  • use five-frames and ten-frames to organise groups;
  • provide pre-marked sorting trays;
  • count each group aloud together;
  • use skip-counting charts and number lines;
  • keep leftovers below 5 at first;
  • colour-code tens and ones;
  • allow students to move each group while counting;
  • provide sentence starters and adult support.

Extension

  • count collections beyond 120;
  • compare grouping by 5 with grouping by 10;
  • estimate the collection before counting;
  • record the same collection in more than one grouped form;
  • create a collection for classmates to count;
  • use mixed groups and ask students to reorganise them;
  • count coin collections with larger totals;
  • explain why one grouping strategy is more efficient;
  • represent the result using expanded notation.

Mathematical Sentence Starters

I organised the collection into groups of _____.

There are _____ equal groups.

I skip counted by _____.

The groups total _____.

There are _____ leftover objects.

There are _____ tens and _____ ones.

The total number of objects is _____.

The first digit shows _____.

The second digit shows _____.

Grouping helped me because _____.

The total value of the coins is _____ dollars.

Assessment Ideas

Observe whether the student can:

  • organise a collection into equal groups;
  • group objects into 5s or 10s;
  • skip count accurately by 5s or 10s;
  • count leftover objects;
  • combine the grouped total and leftovers;
  • connect groups of 10 to the tens digit;
  • connect leftover objects to the ones digit;
  • record the total accurately;
  • count one-dollar coins in stacks of 10;
  • explain why grouping is an efficient counting strategy.

Quick Exit Ticket

  1. Give the student 34 counters.
  2. Ask the student to organise them into groups of 10.
  3. Skip count the groups and count the leftovers.
  4. Record the total as tens and ones.

Printable Teacher and Student Resources

Use the buttons below to open the available AC9M1N03 teaching materials and printable activities in a new browser tab.

Main Worksheets Student Practice Growing Patterns with Shapes & Objects Recognising Skip Counting Patterns Skip Counting with Money Counting Money by 2s, 5s & 10s Patterns with Blocks & Beads Pattern Rules for Skip Counting Industrial Robot Counting Activity Robot Skip Counting Game Sam-yuk-gu Skip Counting Game Patterns & Skip Counting Printables

Resources open in a new tab. Browser PDF settings may affect whether a file opens in the browser or downloads.

Home Learning Ideas

Families can practise grouping and skip counting using toys, coins, pegs, buttons, pasta, blocks, socks or pieces of fruit.

Encourage children to organise a collection into groups of 5 or 10 before counting the total.

Ask questions such as:

  • How could you organise these objects?
  • Can you make equal groups?
  • How many objects are in each group?
  • Can you skip count the groups?
  • How many objects are left over?
  • How many tens and ones are there?
  • What is the total?
  • Which counting method was faster?

Related Year 1 Maths Chapters

Chapter 1: Numbers to 120 – AC9M1N01 Chapter 2: Number Partitioning – AC9M1N02 Place Value Activities