Which skill typically precedes skip counting and multiplication?

The skill that typically precedes skip counting and multiplication is grouping. This is because grouping involves organizing numbers into sets or categories, which lays the foundation for understanding how multiplication works as repeated addition. When students grasp the concept of grouping, they can begin to see how numbers can be combined in consistent ways, which is essential for mastering multiplication.

For instance, when children learn to skip count by 2s, they are essentially grouping numbers in sets of two. This understanding makes it easier for them to transition to multiplication since multiplication can be viewed as adding a number to itself a certain number of times. This preparatory skill of grouping helps children develop a mental framework necessary for more complex mathematical operations like skip counting and multiplication.