Explore different ways to categorize, count, and combine coins.
Grades: Pre-K and up
Materials: different types of coins, pencil, paper or Money Patterns worksheet (PDF)
Time: 20 minutes
Collect coins from your piggy bank or around your house. Practice categorizing the coins in different ways: quantity, value, and combinations.
Coin Quantity: Group the coins based on coin type (penny, nickel, dime, quarter). Count the different amount of each coin type. For example, you may have 10 pennies, 3 nickels, 2 dimes, and 6 quarters.
- Which type of coins do you have the most of?
- Which type of coins do you have the least?
- How many coins do you have in total?
Coin Value: Next, count the total value of each of the coins. For example, if you have 10 pennies, you have 10 cents ($0.10). If you have 10 nickels, you have fifty cents ($0.50). If you have 3 quarters, you have seventy-five cents ($0.75).
- Which coin type is worth the most?
- Which is worth the least?
- Does quantity (the total amount of each coins) or value (how much the coins are worth) matter more?
- What is the total value of your coins?
Dollar Combinations: Mix the coins together. See how many different ways you can create one dollar ($1.00) using different coins. For example, you can make a dollar using four quarters, or 10 dimes, or 100 pennies. You can also make a dollar using a 5 dimes and 10 nickels.
How many different ways can you make one dollar?
