Teaching children money value is one of those life skills that builds confidence, independence, and real-world readiness. If you’re trying to teach kids money value while juggling multiple ages in your homeschool, it can feel overwhelming — but it doesn’t have to be. With simple steps, hands-on activities, you can make this topic easy, engaging, and meaningful for your whole family.
Below are my favorite practical tips to teach kids money value—perfect for preschoolers, early elementary learners, and even toddlers who want to “join in” the fun.
1) Start With Counting Skills First
Before jumping into teaching money value, make sure your child can confidently count to about 50. This gives them a strong foundation, especially as we begin counting in 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s, 25s, and eventually adding mixed coins.
If your child is still working on counting, spend a week or two practicing with:
- Number cards
- Dot marker pages
- Clapping games
- Number songs
- Counting toys or snacks
- Jumping on one foot
Once counting feels smooth, you’re ready to teach kids money value.
2) Teach Kids Money Value One Coin at a Time
Instead of handing your child a pile of mixed coins (which can lead to confusion fast!), teach kids money value by breaking it down and introducing one coin at a time.
1. Start With the Penny (1¢)
“A penny is worth 1 cent, and you count by 1s” This helps children connect physical objects (coins) to numerical value—an essential early math skill.
Activities for learning pennies:
- Count out 10 pennies together
- Trade you 10 small objects for 10 pennies
- Outline pennies on a worksheet or tracing mat
- “Penny Hunt” around the house
- Play store: Purchase items using pennies (no more than 10 cents)
Once they understand that each penny equals one, you’re ready for the next step.
2. Move to the Nickel (5¢)
“A nickel is worth 5 cents, and you count by 5’s), so now your child practices counting by 5s. Don’t mix it with other coins yet (leave pennies out) —keep this stage simple and focused.
Fun nickel activities:
- Line up nickels and skip-count together
- Sort a cup of coins but only keep the nickels
- Ask: “How many nickels make 10? 20? 25?”
- Pretend store (only with nickels)
3. Introduce the Dime (10¢)
“A dime is worth 10 cents, and you cojnt by 10s” so now you’re teaching counting by 10s.
Children often love this step because tens feel easy and predictable. Once again leave the previously learned coins out, focus on the Dime alone.
Dime Activities
- Build number strings with dimes: 10, 20, 30
- Make piles of tens.
- Use play money mats for matching values.
- Sort a pile of coins keeping only dimes.
- Give prices to items (by tens) and have child give you the correct number of dimes to purchase.
- Play “which is more.”
4. Now the Quarter (25¢)
Quarters are the trickiest, so save them for the end. You can skip to Toonies and Loonies. Once your child understands pennies, nickels, and dimes, quarters become much easier to conceptualize.
Activities to try:
- Count by 25s: It is okay to got over 100 and count 125, 150, 175, 200 since children haven’t been introduced to $1, $2
- Focus on patterns: The last digits repeat in a predictable cycle (25 → 50 → 75 → 00).
- Hands-on practice: Stack or lay out quarters to see totals grow visually.
- Avoid dollar confusion: Counting beyond 100 cents is natural; children are just adding 25 each time.
- Play pretend by children purchasing only quarter amounts
- Sort coins into their correct groups
5. The loonie
- Introduce the coin first: Show the loonie and explain it’s worth 100 cents or $1.
- Skip counting by 1s and 100s: Count 1, 2, 3 loonies, or 100, 200, 300 cents.
- Reinforce real-life use: Use play money to buy small items priced around $1.
6. Toonies ($2)
- Introduce the coin clearly: Show it’s worth 200 cents or $2.
- Skip count by 2s; 2, 4, 6, 8
- Compare value visually with loonies to see that it’s twice as much.
- Real-life examples: “If a toy costs $4, how many toonies do we need?”
3) Pretend Play: One of the BEST Ways Kids Learn Money Value
Kids learn money so much faster when they get to use it in real-life situations.
My favorite go-to to teach kids money value? Pretend Play Store!
Here’s how to do it simply:
Step 1: Set Up:
You don’t need a fancy Melissa & Doug Play Store. (All though that’s pretty cool!)
A simple set up can be done by just placing a cash register (ikea is the most affordable I’ve found) on a flat surface like a table.
Then just choose items from your home and place them to one side, even along the wall on the floor.
Children can shop using a grocery bag or just choose one item at a time.
Step 2: Assign every item a price
Start tiny: Everything costs 1 penny. Let your child “buy” items, count out the pennies, and hand them to you.
Step 3: Move to nickel store
Everything costs 5¢. Your child must count nickels by 5s to make their purchase.
You can even change the theme of every store (penny store = groceries, nickel store = toy store, etc)
Step 4: Switch to dime store, then quarter store
Every time you introduce a new coin, play the same game with that coin only. This repetition—with one coin at a time—is the key to understanding.
Tip: To make this a game everyone can join in, assign roles to each child according to their level.
For example:
- Toddlers: Simply choose items, and hand over coins. They may count them as they hand them to the cashier.
- Preschoolers: Choose items, recognize the number (5, 6, 7, 8, ) count coins up to 10 as they hand them to the cashier.
- Kindergarten: Towards the end of kindergarten children usually know simply addition such as 1+1, 1+2, 1+3, (not past 10) They can add coins as. They are paying the cashier.
- Grade 1: Children are already adding and skip counting. So you can use pennies, nickels, & dimes. 1 penny + 1 nickel.
- Grade 2 and beyond: At this point they’re adding confidentally, know how to skip count, and are solidifying subtraction (making change), this is perfect for the role of the Cashier.
- For Money I love using my printable piggy bank & Velcro stickers. Children fill their piggy banks with coins and then pull the coins off to pay. All coins are visible and we avoid the spilling of coins on the floor.
4) When to Mix Coins Together
Once your child confidently understands each coin on its own, then begin mixing. When you teach kids money value, this step is usually towards the end of Grade 1, but you can introduce it anytime.
Start small:
Mixing coins works like addition. Once they’re learning that concept it is wise to start using coins.
- 1 penny + 1 penny is how many pennies?
- You have 1 dime and 1 penny. How much is that?”
- “You have 1 nickel and 1 dime. Can you add them?”
- “Is it better to pay with 5 pennies or a nickel?”
- Play store by mixing coins but use simple prices such as 1 cent, 2 cents, 6 cents, 11 cents, and so on. The Concept is only 2 mixed coins. For example 1 nickel and 1 penny = 6 cents. Encourage them to use larger value coins rather than 10 pennies.
Mixing coins reinforces:
- Place value
- Problem-solving
- Flexible thinking
- Mental math
- It prepares your child for real-world situations like making change.
5) Tips for teaching multiple ages
If you’re homeschooling multiple children, the best (and my favorite) strategy is to teach kids money value family style; one subject to everyone—but at different levels.
For example:
- Older kids practice adding coin value
- Early learners count pennies and nickels
- Toddlers drop toy coins into a DIY coin bank (fine motor + early math exposure)
- Everyone can play pretend store: older children play cashier (they learn adding & subtracting, as well as making change), early learners are the shoppers they learn coin value and simple addition, toddlers can also join and drop coins into the coinbox.
This keeps everyone connected and reduces the chaos of separate lesson plans when you teach kids money value.
Extra Tips & Ideas (Based on Research + Practical Experience)
- Use Real Coins — Children learn money value faster when handling actual coins rather than plastic replicas. (Use laminate ones when smaller children are around)
- Compare Size vs Value — Point out how coins of different sizes and colors have different values (especially useful in the Canadian system).
- Short, Daily Sessions — Frequent, short activities (5-10 minutes) work better for retention than longer sessions.
- Visual Coin Mats — Use mats or trays where kids match the coin to its printed value or sort by type. (I have a printable piggy bank available here)
- Real Life Practice — Go to the grocery, buy a snack, use the self checkout and have them scan, count change, and pay.
- Pretend Play Store — Use your DIY coin drop box or other store scenario so kids “shop” and count their coins—great multi-age activity. My printable coin bank works really well when laminated and using velcro stickers. (Use roles per age & grade as mentioned above older children as cashiers, early learners & toddlers as shoppers)
- Shared Subject Across Ages — Teach money value to the whole family at once: older siblings add and compare, younger ones handle individual coins.
- Mix Coins Gradually — Only after single-coin mastery begin combining different coins and asking “How much is this pile?”
- Printable Resources — Download free Canadian money printables (for example from the Bank of Canada or museum-based educational site) to reinforce coin recognition and value.
- Money Skills Printable Worksheets — Engaging worksheets that reinforce lessons, track progress, and make money skills stick and give you a few moments. Check my Canadian workbook here .
Money Learning Resources for Your Homeschool
Here are all the tools, printables, and DIY ideas mentioned in this post to help teach kids money value— perfect for toddlers, early learners, and elementary kids learning money value:
Printables
- Free Printable Canadian Money Available through the Bank of Canada Museum — great for coin and bill recognition.
- Printable Piggy Bank (with removable coins)A hands-on matching activity where kids practice placing and removing coins to learn value and build fine motor skills.
- Money Learning Worksheets (TPT) My full worksheet packet on Teachers Pay Teachers includes coin sorting, adding mixed coins, matching value, cut-and-paste activities, and more. (Get it here)
DIY Money Activities
- DIY Coin Drop Box (Cardboard) A perfect toddler-friendly activity to keep little hands busy while older siblings practice coin value.
- DIY Pill Organizer Coin Bank A pill container turned into a mini “coin bank” with compartments — great for sorting, counting, and matching.
- DIY piggy bank (Removable Coins) A tactile, hands-on home version of a piggy bank where kids insert, remove, and sort coins.
- Pretend Store Setup: Use real coins or printables and set prices based on whichever coin your child is learning (pennies store → nickel store → dime store → quarter store).
- Egg Carton Coin Value: Upcycle and egg carton by writing coin values or amount at the bottom of each section, children put in coins to make the value.
- Muffin Pan Coin Value: Place cupcake liners at in a muffin pan, write a Value in cents at the bottom of each cupcake liner, children place the correct value in coins.
- Go to a self checkout; have children shop, scam, and pay.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to feel overwhelmed to teach kids money value.
Start simple, go slow, and build confidence coin by coin.
With hands-on activities, pretend play, and real-life practice, your child will understand money value in a meaningful, long-lasting way.
More Blog Posts to checkout
11 Easy DIY Resources You Can Make At Home
Fizzy Pumpkins: A Fall.STEM Activity
Boost Learning & Focus Through Exercise & Movement
Lost Sheep, Bouncing Balloons & The Good Shepherd
Little wings, Big Learning! A Preschool-Kindergarten Butterfly Study Unit
10 Tips For Homeschooling With Babies and Toddlers
Join our Mailing List
Sign up with us now and never miss a new post!
Your message has been sent
By submitting your information, you`re giving us permission to email you. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Leave a Reply