Counting money: how to help your child practice

What do kids need to know to count money?

Kids need two things: the value of each coin, and the habit of counting on. A penny is 1¢, a nickel 5¢, a dime 10¢ and a quarter 25¢. Size is a trap here: a dime is smaller than a nickel and a penny but worth more than both.

Counting on means starting with the biggest value and adding each coin's value as you go, which is really skip-counting by 25s, 10s, 5s and 1s in one row. That's why money practice also strengthens mental math.

In many US schools, 1st graders learn to name coins and count small groups of one kind, and 2nd graders count mixed coins and bills, use the ¢ and $ signs, and solve word problems with money. The 2nd grade guide shows what else comes up that year, and the math topic guide shows how money connects to place value and addition.

How do you count a group of coins, step by step?

Teach the same routine every time:

1. Sort the coins from most to least valuable. Quarters first, then dimes, nickels and pennies.
2. Start with the biggest coin's value. For 1 quarter, 2 dimes, 1 nickel and 2 pennies, say "25."
3. Count on with each coin. Dimes: 35, 45. Nickel: 50. Pennies: 51, 52.
4. Write the total with a sign. 52¢, or $0.52.

For making change, count up from the price. Something costs 65¢ and you pay with 3 quarters (75¢): count from 65 to 75, which is 10¢ of change.

With bills, count dollars first, then coins: a $1 bill, 2 quarters and 1 dime is $1.00, $1.25, $1.50, $1.60, so $1.60.

What counting money mistakes do kids make most?

Counting coins instead of value

Shown 2 dimes, 1 nickel and 3 pennies, a child says 6¢ because there are 6 coins. The answer is 28¢. Before counting, have them say each coin's value out loud: "10, 10, 5, 1, 1, 1."

Mixing up the nickel and the dime

A child counts 3 dimes and 1 nickel as 25¢, treating the bigger nickel as the dime. The answer is 35¢. Remind them the dime is the smallest coin but worth 10¢, and keep a labeled coin chart nearby until it sticks.

Writing dollars and cents wrong

A child writes 1 dollar and 5 cents as $1.5. That reads as a dollar fifty. Cents always take two places after the point, so it's $1.05. Saying "5 cents is zero dimes and 5 pennies" helps the zero make sense.

How can you practice counting money at home in 10 minutes?

Real coins beat pictures of coins every time.

• Minutes 1–3: coin sort. Dump a handful of change on the table and have your child sort it into quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies, saying each value out loud.
• Minutes 4–8: five mixed problems. Count three small piles (for example 2 dimes, 1 nickel, 3 pennies), make one amount two different ways (35¢), and solve one change problem (a 40¢ eraser paid with 2 quarters).
• Minutes 9–10: play store. Put price tags on a few toys (15¢, 30¢, 45¢) and let your child buy one, paying and getting change.

Change the coins and prices each night so your child counts fresh amounts instead of remembering the totals.

How can Easy Twin help with counting money?

Scan your child's money worksheet and Easy Twin makes a twin with the same kinds of questions and new amounts. Every question comes with two hints and worked steps, visuals like tables are redrawn with new data, and your child can play the twin as a quest or you can print it with an answer key.

Frequently asked questions