Fun with Coins: Using Games to Teach Kids about Money

Young girl with piggy bank: MetalsWired Kids’ Coin Corner Blog

There are a variety of ways to teach children, but the power learning while having fun can make a huge impact. Most kids are born with a competitive spirit, and everyone likes to have a good time. Some games are so entertaining that children don’t even realize they are learning!

Games are good for teaching almost anything, so when trying to teach kids about money, coin games are a no brainer. Children can learn the value of money as well some very important math concepts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

You may choose to use real coins or make your own (try using cardboard) so that you can write information on them.

Below is a list of popular coin-based games that have been proven to aid kids in learning valuable math lessons.

Shopping Center

This is a great game for teaching younger kids how to count money. Gather toys and other items from around the house and place price tags on each item. Give each child some money to shop at the “store.” Have them count out exact change for the price of the toy.

Coin Hide and Seek

Hide a variety of coins around the house or room. On your mark, get set, go! Let the kids go wild trying to find as many coins as they can in a set amount of time. When time is up, have all children count their coins to see who has the most money.

The Matching Game

Create a set of cards with different values on each. Have the kids take turns drawing cards and then use coins to match the value of the price they drew. There may not necessarily be a winner to this game, but you can create a reward system of some kind. For young children, keep the amounts small. For older children, increase the amounts and make them more complicated.

The Dice and Dollar Game

Before the game begins, decide what value the number on the dice holds. For example, rolling a one may mean that you receive a penny, rolling a two is a nickel and so on. Players take turns rolling the dice and drawing coins to match. The winner is the first player to reach one dollar.

Coin Toss

Have kids toss coins into a bowl one by one. The money that stays in the bowl will count towards the player’s score. The money that lands outside the bowl goes to the opponent. Kids count up their money at the end to see who has the most.

Ready, Set, Go!

All of these games can help generate interest among children in coins. They may even begin to get interested in coin collecting, especially if you are able to incorporate some unusual and rare coins into the game.