Coin Sorting

I love teaching money. It is so much fun -- and a very high interest area for the kids.

I love that money lends itself so well to so many math workstations and small group activities. We spend about a month on money -- introducing all four coins, counting and making combinations. Don't get me wrong, we could buzz through the coins in a week. But, it's a great unit and the length of it really emphasizes mastery.

Three years ago, my teammates and I spend three days of professional development creating a huge math workstation binder. I love pulling activities from it -- there is always something ready to go! This is a great practice station from our binder.

Here is a great activity/workstation for sorting coins. Because counting and making combinations is so tricky, spending some time comparing and sorting coins is a great place to start. My kids have loved it so far -- and been very successful!

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First, put a handful of coins in four ziploc bags labeled A, B, C, and D.

Print out the coin sorting mat and laminate (or be ghetto and put it in a page protector with a little tape on top -- like me!)

Then, the kids pick a bag of coins, sort them on the mat, and record how many of each on the recording page.

    

Click on the pictures above for printables. Enjoy!

Monopoly Jr. -- coin practice

Well, I love revamping board games for my kindergarten class. It's cheap, fun, and the kids love it! I can change any game to provide practice for any skill. When I found Monopoly Jr. at a garage sale for $1, I knew this would be a perfect game for coin practice. I plan to use this game during small group instruction (I will facilitate).

   

I know Monopoly Jr. already provides money practice. But the amounts used in the game ($1-$5) do not provide the practice I wanted. During the 4th quarter, my kindergartners always need extra practice with MAKING sets of coins. So, I simplified the game to practice from 2 cents to 26 cents. 
Keep reading below for more info AND the documents to make your own game!