Teaching students the value of money isn’t just a practical math lesson.

When students understand the actual value of money, they can also apply its figurative meaning. They understand how much things cost, and relate it to the amount of money needed for an item. In this way, they can see the physical representation of numbers through money.

With our What’s the Value? Task Cards, students will practice counting money, first by identifying coins and their value. Then they will work through cards that ask them to add like coins together to find their total sum, then a collection of unlike coins.

How To Use This Game to Practice Counting Money with Your Students

This set of 40 task cards can be used as a math center activity, with a small group, or as a scoot activity with your whole class.

Students will go through the numbered task cards, first identifying the value of each coin (penny, nickel, dime, quarter). Then they’ll go through task cards that contain multiple coins that the student must add together to get a total sum. Students will write the answers to the task cards on the recording sheet provided.

There are two versions of this resource, making differentiation a breeze! The first set of 20 task cards (green version) has students working with a collection of like coins to find the value, e.g., 5 pennies = 5¢. The second set of 20 task cards (orange version) has students working with a collection of unlike coins up to $1 and asking them to find the total value. This allows you to choose the set that works best for each student in your classroom!

More Ways To Make Adding Coins Fun! 

Here are a few ideas for how to turn these task cards into additional money exercises that get your whole class involved.

Money Skills Group Lesson 

Provide each student with a recording sheet. Then, using your smartboard or another projection device, go through the sheets as a class so that your students can practice identifying and adding coins.

Money Skills Exit Activity

After you go through your coin identification lesson, pass out cards to students as a math problem they will answer on their own. Provide each student with a sticky note so that they can turn in their answer to give you as a formative assessment, making sure to write their name on it (or use our Sticky Note Printing Guide + Template).

Money Skills Warm-Up

Pick a random assortment of cards and project them on the board for the whole class to see. Have each student solve the problems on a sticky note or separate sheet of paper for an easy formative assessment.

Change the Difficulty Level if Needed

Got fast finishers? Challenge students to create their own set of 4 task cards they can swap with another student for extra practice counting money.

For students who are struggling, start by limiting the number of cards and the types of cards the student will need to solve. You can also give students play money to use as they work through the problems.

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Print our coin math game on cardstock for durability and longevity. To make this game more sustainable, print recording sheets on cardstock and place them in dry-erase sleeves. Students can record their answers with a dry-erase marker, then erase and reuse.

To print the recording sheet on regular paper as usual:

1. Select “File” from the navigation bar, and click “Print” from the drop-down menu
2. From the dialog box that pops up, click “All” next to Pages and select “Custom” from the dropdown menu
3. In the space provided, enter “11”
4. Click “More Settings”
5. Pages per sheet should be set to “1”
6. Leave the box empty next to “Print on both sides”
7. Click the “Print” button

As a math center activity, cut out the task cards and punch a hole in the corner of each to place them on a binder ring. Put the task cards, recording sheets, and answer keys in a folder or large envelope.

Before You Download

Please note this resource is available in Google Slides or as a PDF. A recording sheet and answer key are also included with this download.

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This resource was created by Heather Chambers, a teacher in Texas and a Teach Starter Collaborator.

 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more coin math worksheets to make teaching money a breeze: