How to explain skip-counting stories in counting problems to your student: Example question for 11+ / Section: Skip-counting stories
29 October 2026
Skip-counting stories help children solve counting problems by grouping numbers into equal steps. This approach is especially useful when objects are arranged in rows or groups, making it easier to find the total quickly.
Example question
A farmer has 4 rows of apple trees. Each row has 5 trees. How many apple trees are there in total?
Step 1: Each row has 5 trees. So we can skip-count by 5 for each row.
Step 2: Count by fives: 5, 10, 15, 20.
Step 3: There are 4 rows, so we stop at the fourth number. That is 20.
The answer is 20 apple trees.
After working through this example, your child will recognise how skip-counting stories make counting problems simpler. They can now spot similar questions and use the same method to solve them with confidence.
