Mathematics · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Counting in Multiples of 5

Active learning works for counting in multiples of five because physical movement and visual grouping help young learners break the habit of counting in ones. When students use their fingers or collect objects in bundles, they see the repeated size of each 'jump,' making the pattern memorable and transferable to written work.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Mathematics - Number and Place Value

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 15 min · Pairs

Finger Band Skip Count

Children hold up one hand to represent five, chanting multiples of five while tapping fingers sequentially: 5, 10, 15. Extend by using both hands for tens. Pairs take turns leading the chant and checking each other's accuracy.

Analyze the pattern when counting in fives.

Facilitation Tip

For Finger Band Skip Count, ensure each student wears a stretchy band to mark the fifth finger, making the skip visible and tactile.

What to look for

Show students a number line marked with only 0 and 10. Ask them to place the next two numbers in the counting-by-fives sequence on the line. Observe if they correctly place 5 and 15.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 25 min · Small Groups

Object Bundle Hunt

Provide collections of small items like buttons or sticks. In small groups, students bundle into groups of five, then skip count the bundles aloud. Record the total on mini whiteboards and compare sequences.

Construct a sequence of numbers counting in fives starting from zero.

Facilitation Tip

During Object Bundle Hunt, ask students to collect groups of five in separate containers so the skip pattern is physically separated from single items.

What to look for

Give each student a card with a picture of 3 groups of 5 fingers. Ask them to write the total number of fingers shown by counting in fives. Then, ask them to write the next number in the sequence after their total.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Small Groups

Floor Number Line Relay

Mark a floor number line from 0 to 50 in fives with tape. Teams relay race by hopping to the next multiple, calling it out on landing. Switch directions to practise backwards counting.

Differentiate counting in fives from counting in ones.

Facilitation Tip

In Floor Number Line Relay, place only the 0 and 50 marks so students must reason about intermediate jumps rather than rely on pre-marked numbers.

What to look for

Ask students: 'If you count your fingers on one hand, you get five. If you count the fingers on two hands by ones, you get ten. How many groups of five fingers are there on two hands? How is counting by fives different from counting by ones?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 20 min · Pairs

Five-Penny Shop

Set up a role-play shop with items costing multiples of five pence. Individually or in pairs, children count out exact change using pretend coins, verbalising the skip count sequence.

Analyze the pattern when counting in fives.

Facilitation Tip

In Five-Penny Shop, let students label price tags with multiples of five so they connect the spoken sequence to a practical transaction.

What to look for

Show students a number line marked with only 0 and 10. Ask them to place the next two numbers in the counting-by-fives sequence on the line. Observe if they correctly place 5 and 15.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with concrete tools like hands and counters before moving to number lines or symbols. Avoid rushing to abstract counting; instead, give repeated opportunities to verbalise the pattern while using materials. Research shows that children who articulate the 'why' behind the skip—such as 'this is a new group of five'—develop stronger number sense than those who only recite the sequence.

By the end of these activities, students will confidently count forward and backward in fives from any starting point and explain why each step is a group of five. They will also link the spoken sequence to written numerals and real objects without defaulting to counting in ones.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Finger Band Skip Count, watch for students still tapping each finger in order instead of naming the fifth finger as 'five'.

  Pause the activity and ask the student to say the number name aloud only at the banded finger, reinforcing that the band marks the group of five.

• During Object Bundle Hunt, watch for students counting single items and then grouping them afterward rather than collecting five at a time.

  Model picking up objects one by one while saying 'one, two, three, four, five,' then place them in the container as a single group to show the skip.

• During Floor Number Line Relay, watch for students starting at five instead of zero when the first marker is set at zero.

  Have students say 'zero' aloud before moving to the first mark to establish the sequence from the start.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation