I’ve been busy, busy, busy this summer getting ready for baby #3, planning school for this fall (a 1st grader! where has the time gone?), and writing for Catholic Schoolhouse’s blog. Speaking of Catholic Schoolhouse, math in each of the 3 year cycles reviews the times tables or skip counting up to 12’s.
This year will be our first year really trying to memorize the times tables or skip counting, and when I was at a conference I saw one mom’s awesome file folder ‘game’ for skip counting. She had made little cut outs for each skip counting set, and glued them into a file folder (similar to a lapbook, but less involved). To use it, her child used a fun Micky Mouse pointer to point to each number as he said them aloud along with the skip counting song (Catholic Schoolhouse has amazing memory work CDs).
Of course, I instantly wanted to make my own set, and thought it’d be so cool to make a Catholic version of these. Instead of boots for skip counting by 2’s- Keys to Heaven, instead of triangles- shamrocks for Saint Patrick.. you get the idea. And out of that came….
I set each picture and number in a 2 inch circle to make them easy to cut out (I don’t personally want to cut out around shamrocks, and I figured you wouldn’t either). You can either cut out around them with scissors, or use a 2″ hole punch (which you can get at Hobby Lobby, Michaels or Amazon). Or you could make your kids.. er.. students.. cut them out. ALSO, instead of just gluing them down, I suggest getting some of these nifty velcro circles (affiliate link) to make the skip counting number/pictures removable. Then your students can take them all out, mix them up and put them back into the correct skip counting order!
Since these took me a long time to put together (think drawing, scanning, editing, printing, trial and error placements, paper, lots of time etc) I am asking for $3 $1.50 (for the first week) for the whole set, and you can find them here in my store. Included in the downloable file are the printable pictures with numbers for creating skip counting file folders for numbers 2-12. Catholic symbols and people were used for each type of skip counting, as described below:
2’s– Keys to Heaven (as depicted on the Vatican Flag)
3’s– Shamrock, famous for Saint Patrick using the 3 lobes to describe the trinity
4’s– Gospels, the four gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
5’s– Crucifix, the five wounds of Jesus on the cross
6’s– Lilies have 6 petals and are the symbol for purity
7’s– Immaculate Heart of Mary, often shown with 7 swords for the 7 doulas of Mary (I also drew 7 roses on them)
8’s—a harp/lyre with 8 strings
9’s– Nine choirs of angels
10’s—Ten commandments
11’s—Palm branch with 11 leaves, palms are a symbol of peace and victory
12’s—Jesus’ 12 Apostles
The file also has instructions for how to make these, plus a template for placement in your file folders if you want even spacing.
The skip counting goes up to x times 12 for each set. For example, skip counting by 2’s includes a circle for each number: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24.
A simple game you can play using these file folders are just to use a fun pointer (or ‘magic’ wand) to point at each number as you recite them. If you use velcro to attach them to the folders, you can remove them all, shuffle them and then stick them back on in order. See how fast your kids can put them back on in order, or take one away and see if they can figure out which is missing. There are many possible ways to use these file folders to teach and reinforce multiplication tables.
Suggested supplies: 6 File folders, cardstock or paper for printing, 72 velcro dots (I used these exact ones from Amazon and can vouch for their stickiness), packing tape
Download and start making your file folder Skip counting games today! They are $3 for the whole set. So click over to the store page!
Thanks and I’m praying you all have a wonderful school year- be it at a public school, private school, or your own home!
Blessings,
Kristen
