Sometimes, learning to count money can be a challenging task for elementary students. Keeping track of all the coins and their values can be difficult. But learning about money and working with various values is not only an important part of growing up, it’s also a great way for your student to improve their math skills. Try playing this game with your child the next time you’ve got some change lying around.
What You Need:
- Two players
- Play or real coins (approximately 50 pennies, 10 nickels, four dimes, and two quarters)
- Dice
- Paper
- Pencil
What You Do:
- Take turns rolling the dice. Each player rolls the dice once per turn and each dot on the die equals one cent.
- On each turn, players draw and record the number on the dice on the sheet of paper next to his or her name, labeling the turn each time.
- On any given turn, circle the coins that you can trade for a larger coin if you’re able. For example, if you have 7 cents, you may trade in five of those cents for one nickel; 10 cents for a dime, etc.
- Draw and record what the trade looks like in the next few lines below.
- The first person that reaches 25 cents and can trade in their coins for a quarter is the winner.
As your second grader becomes more confident and skilled with counting coins, you may want to make this activity more challenging by changing it to “Ways to Make $.50 or $1.00”
Source: Education.com