Teaching Kids To Count Money
It’s finally time, or so I thought when we pushed the farm stand out to the road over the weekend. Little did I know that more snow was coming… But now I think it’s actually time! The kids have been working on crafts and other ideas to sell at their stand. They have been practicing with money over winter to make sure they were ready. Here’s some awesome tools for teaching kids how to count money.
Where do I start?
Identifying coins and dollars by name – Of course, it would be impossible to count money if we didn’t know which was a quarter, which was a dime or which dollar you were looking at.
Identifying coins and dollars by their amount – Next, students will need to know what value each coin and dollar has.
Adding coins and dollars together – Start by adding similar coins together. Then slowly introduce a different coin into the mix.
This Pretend Money Printable Pack is great for practicing counting with money. You can use this in many different ways to adjust for different levels of learning. We like to set up a pretend store and line up things for sale. I write the price of the item on the price tag with dry erase marker and the kids have to come up with the correct amount. You can also be the customer and have the student give you the correct change. You can use this pack in place of real money for any of the ideas below.
CLICK HERE to download this Pretend Money Printable Pack from my TPT store!
Money War Game
Each player gets a jar with the same amount and value of coins in it. At the same time, each student grabs one coin from their jar without looking and places it in front of them. Whoever has the higher valued coin gets to keep both coins. Ties are broken by each player grabbing another coin until the tie is broken. Continue until one person has all the coins and wins the game!
One of my favorite homeschooling tools of all time is our OSMOs. OSMO Pizza Co. is a wonderful resource for practicing with money. You start by building a pizza that the customer orders. You must put the correct toppings and the correct amount of toppings on the pizza. Children will learn to pick up on body language as the customers get impatient, happy or unhappy. Then you have to cash out your customers. With multiple difficulties, OSMO Pizza Co. is a great pick for any age. My 4 year old does the junior mode while my 7 year old started with dollars and quarters. She is working her way up to all coins and dollar amounts! There is also a word problems difficulty that ties in reading and a timed orders difficulty. Learn how to run a pizza business by earning money to pay for toppings and to upgrade your shop. OSMO Pizza Co. is a great way to incorporate screen time into homeschooling.
CLICK HERE to check the price of OSMO Pizza Co. on Amazon.
CLICK HERE to check the price of Osmos Genius Starter Kit.
REMEMBER, OSMO gives $20 for every $50+ order you buy! So if you don’t have an OSMO, buy one HERE and wait for the $20 credit to buy OSMO Pizza Co. I got my Pizza Co. game for only $15, with the 35% off for signing up for their newsletter!!
Skip Counting
Hopscotch – Make a hopscotch path with numbers that skip by 5s, 10s and 25s.
Popsicle Stick Puzzle – Write the numbers on the end of the popsicle stick and mix them up. Have the students arrange them in order.
Songs – Here’s a few catchy tunes to skip count to.
Song Tune – The Farmer In The Dell
“A penny is 1
A nickel is 5
A dime is 10 and a quarter’s 25″
Song Tune – Ten Little Indians
“25, 50, 75, a dollar
25, 50, 75, a dollar
25, 50, 75, a dollar
That’s how we count our quarters”
Song Tune – Head Shoulders Knees & Toes
“10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60
70, 80, 90, 100
That is how we count our
Dimes, dimes, dimes, that is how we count our dimes
10 to 100 is a dollar”
Check out this song to learn counting by 5s by Mr. R’s Songs For Teaching.
Interval Counting Hopskotch
We did interval hopskotch with 5s, 10s and 25s to 100.
Counting Money Packet – First Grade
Here is everything you need to teach kids to count money. Over 80 different worksheets and centers.
Sorting Coins & Dollars
You can use labeled jars or pieces of paper to sort coins and dollars with. You can write out the coin/dollar word, the value or the word value. Example: Quarters, 25¢, $0.25 or Twenty Five Cents. This will help students distinguish the difference between different coins and different dollars so they can easily recognize them while counting money.
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