Classroom Activities: Counting Coins

These classroom activities are designed to complement the Counting Coins topic on BrainPOP Jr.

Collect a Dollar
Students work in pairs to play this cooperative game. Each pair needs a collection of real or manipulative coins and a number cube. The goal is to collect exactly one dollar. One student rolls the die and takes the number of coins shown on the die. They must be all one type of coin (for example if you roll a 3, you can take 3 quarters or 3 nickels or 3 dimes, etc). Then the second player rolls the number cube and chooses which type of coin to gather to add onto the first student’s collection. After each turn the students should count the change and discuss what coins they might be able to take on the next turn. You may want to provide a recording sheet to help students keep track of their totals. After they have played the game a few times, bring the class together and ask students to share their counting strategies with the group.

Mystery Bags

Hand out small decorated bags with a large collection of coins in each bag that is valued under a dollar, such as two quarters, one dime, four nickels, twenty pennies. Then challenge small groups to come up with as many ways as they can to count the collection. Make sure they write their strategies down or draw pictures of how they counted. Then have groups share their strategies with the whole class.

Skip-Counting Skip

If possible, use butcher paper to create a large hundred chart on the floor. You may also want to do the activity outside on concrete using sidewalk chalk. Small groups of students can make their own hundred charts, or you can provide one for the whole class. Then have students skip on the chart to practice skip-counting by ones, fives, tens, and twenty-fives. Make sure they say the numbers they land on out loud and have other group members check over their counting.