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Common Core Math2nd GradeNumbers in Base Ten

2.NBT.2: Count and Skip-Count Within 1,000

Also written as 2.NBT.A.2 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.NBT.A.2 · Cluster: Understand place value.

Get the Hundreds ChartAll 26 2nd Grade Math Standards

The Official Wording

Count within 1000; skip-count by 5s, 10s, and 100s.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 2, Number & Operations in Base Ten · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What 2.NBT.2 Means in Plain English

Second graders count on from any number up to 1,000, like 385, 386, 387, and skip-count: by 5s (385, 390, 395), by 10s (385, 395, 405) and by 100s (385, 485, 585). The sticking points are the hundreds: 399 to 400, or 395 to 405 by tens.

Skip-counting is place value in motion: counting by 10s changes only the tens digit, by 100s only the hundreds digit, which is 2.NBT.8 in disguise. Counting by 5s pays off when students read clocks (2.MD.7), and in 3rd grade the counts become the fives and tens facts (3.OA.7).

2.NBT.2 I Can Statements

  • I can count on from any number up to 1,000.
  • I can skip-count by 5s, 10s and 100s.
  • I can keep counting when I reach a new hundred.

2.NBT.2 Worked Example

One starting number, 385, counted four ways, so the digit that moves in each count is plain to see.

Problem

Start at 385. Count on by ones past 400, then skip-count by 5s, by 10s and by 100s.

Four counts from 385
  1. By ones, the hard spot is crossing 400. After 399 comes a new hundred, and the tens and ones start over at 00.397, 398, 399, 400, 401, 402, 403
  2. By 5s, the ones digit goes 5, 0, 5, 0, and the tens tick up at every 0.385, 390, 395, 400, 405, 410
  3. By 10s, the ones digit stays 5 and the tens digit climbs. At 395 the next ten is 405, a new hundred.385, 395, 405, 415, 425
  4. By 100s, only the hundreds digit changes. The 85 rides along the whole way.385, 485, 585, 685, 785, 885, 985
AnswerBy ones: 385 to 403. By 5s: 385, 390, 395, 400, 405. By 10s: 385, 395, 405, 415. By 100s: 385, 485, 585, 685, 785, 885, 985.

Check it: On a hundreds chart stretched to 1,000, counting by 10s moves straight down a column and counting by 100s jumps a whole chart. If the ones digit changed, the jump was wrong.

Common Mistakes with 2.NBT.2

Stalling at a new hundred

“397, 398, 399 ... 300? 1,000?”

Try this: Count by 100s first so the hundred names are ready, then drill just the bridges: 398, 399, 400, 401 and 598, 599, 600, 601.

Skip-counting by 10s only from a round number

From 385 by 10s: “390, 400, 410”

Try this: Point to the tens digit and say it is the only one that moves: 385, 395, 405. The 5 in the ones place never changes.

Switching patterns mid-count

By 5s: 400, 405, 410, 420, 430

Try this: Say the ones pattern aloud before starting, 5, 0, 5, 0, and stop the count the moment the ones digit breaks it.

Where 2.NBT.2 Fits

Comes BeforeK.CC.1Count to 100 by ones and by tens.1.NBT.1Count to 120 from any number, and read and write the numerals.
Alongside2.NBT.1A hundred is ten tens, which is why the hundreds digit moves when counting by 100s.2.NBT.8Add or subtract 10 or 100 in your head, one skip-count step at a time.2.MD.7Tell time to the nearest five minutes, counting by 5s around the clock.
Comes Next3.OA.7Fluent multiplication facts, where the fives and tens come straight from skip-counting.3.OA.9Explain patterns in the tables, like why multiples of 5 end in 0 or 5.

Practice 2.NBT.2

Number Line GeneratorFree ToolA number line from 300 to 500 with a tick every 10, or 0 to 1,000 marked in hundreds, for finger hops that cross a hundred.300 to 500Step 10Labeled
Make a Number Line

Quick Check

  1. Count on by ones: 497, 498, 499. What are the next three numbers?
  2. Skip-count by 10s from 640. What are the next four numbers?
  3. Nia counts the stickers in her book by 100s: 200, 300, 400. If she keeps going to 1,000, how many more numbers does she say?

2.NBT.2: Other Names

2.NBT.22.NBT.A.2CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.NBT.A.2

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.