1-2-3 Come Do Some Coin Activities With Me

Today's blog features some of my favorite coin activities, which will help your students learn to identify the penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar and dollar. 

Use them for your coin studies, or plug them in with your Presidents' Day lessons.

In the Poster & Game Packet,  I’ve included pocket chart cards, flashcards, strip puzzles, large posters showing both the front and back of the coin, plus “How Many?” posters, which show how many pennies make up each coin.

There are also cards to play Memory Match and “I Have; Who Has?” games, as well as several “I Spy a Coin!” whole-group game sheets, which can be used as an assessment too.

I've included smaller versions of the posters, plus a bookmark, that students can keep in their math journals to use as a reference tool, plus  a certificate of praise for 4 as well as 6 coins, with two size options.  

Another way to quickly and easily reinforce coins is with the "Coins On A Roll"  Dice Game Bookmark packet.  

You can explain the directions, or hang up the rebus poster.
Afterwards, they have a nice bookmark to keep in their math journals.  

I truly believe that when children really take a look at the various coins, checking out similarities and differences, that they will latch on to information that helps them remember which coin is which.

A visually fun way to do that, at the same time getting in some comparison-contrast writing, is with a Venn diagram.

Children can work independently, with a partner or in small groups to analyze and evaluate each coin using the various Venn diagram worksheets.

For younger students, do this as a whole group activity, where they come up with the answers and you jot them on the worksheet. 

The 45, "Fix The Sentence" cards, are also an interesting way to review coins, and practice reading, as the cards are packed with  Dolch sight words.

They are a quick, easy and fun way to review all sorts of facts about US coins, which will help students differentiate, so that they can remember which coin is which. 

At the same time students are practicing end punctuation and capitalization, along with a few math concepts.

There are a variety of sentences that need a period, exclamation point or question mark.
Proper nouns, as well as the first word, need to be capitalized as well. Have students use a dry erase marker to make corrections.

After you read and correct the sentences as a whole group, have children choose X number of mini cards to fix independently, by writing the sentences correctly.  

Finally, I designed Lincoln's Log Cabin.  It features a brand new, shiny penny to help reinforce the fact that Lincoln's face is on that coin. 

Older students can practice skip counting by 5s or 10s (the logs are numbered), while PK kiddos use the logs that are numbered 1-10.

I’ve also included 4 worksheets, as well as 2 writing prompts, along with blank templates so you can mix math with literacy.

Assign a prompt, give students a choice, or have them make up their own, gluing their completed worksheet to the back of Lincoln’s log cabin.

For a nice hallway display, punch a hole at the top and suspend from the ceiling. 

Today's FREEBIE is a set of "I Spy" a letter worksheets, featuring Abe Lincoln and uppercase letters, as well as George Washington and lowercase letters.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you found something useful here to help enhance your study of coins and Presidents.

"Money won't create success, the freedom to make it will." -Nelson Mandela

1-2-3 Come Do Some Presidents' Day Activities With Me  

Because February is packed with so many special celebrations, I do President's Day throughout the week and tie Presidents in with our study of coins. 

Recognizing a penny, nickel, dime and quarter are part of our report card standards, so I designed some quick, easy and fun ways to practice. 

Here are four of my students' favorities. 

The coin “Popsicle stick puppet paddles” are a simple way for me to review various facts about the coins, as well as whole-group assess.

Students need just two Popsicle sticks, as they glue the penny & nickel back-to-back, and the dime and quarter back-to-back.

Since size is one of the ways my kiddos differentiate the coins, I designed the coins on a background circle.

Children color, cut and glue to the top of two different colored Popsicle sticks.  I’ve included small, medium, and large pattern choices.

They can simply write the names of the coins right on the sticks using a marker, or have them trace, trim and glue the labels.

Teacher reads clues from the poster.  Kiddos hold up their coin “puppet paddle” when they know which coin is being described.  You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.     

Number puzzles are a quick, easy and fun way for students to practice sequencing numbers from 1 to 10, counting backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s & 10s.

By featuring a penny, nickle, dime, quarter, half dollar and dollar coin on the puzzles, they are also a way to reinforce differences, to help students identify and remember the various coins.

Print, laminate & trim and use as an independent math center.  I've also included trace & write ones as well, so that students can color & cut up their own puzzle. There are 42 coin puzzle options in all. 

Next up, is the "Money Matters Mobile".    There’s nothing like a “hands on” craft to get my students excited about learning something new.  This craftivity will help your kiddos learn to identify the fronts and backs of coins.

I’ve also included coin templates for the half dollar and dollar, and scanned in a real dollar bill, then adjusted it to use as a header for our mobile, giving our “dangler” a bit more color. 

Finally, the "Flipping Over Coins" is another crafty option.  I truly believe this visual helps students differentiate, helping them to remember which coins are which.

I not only wanted my kiddos to be able to identify the coins, but tell a little bit about them. In so doing, they have additional ways to remember each one.

I've included a variety of options for you to choose from, including a 4-coin flip up, as well as one with 5 coins.

Students color, cut and glue the coins to the front, then snip on the dashed lines to make a "flap" which they flip up to reveal the name, color and value of each coin, as well as which president appears on the coin.

Finally, they tally how much it's worth, as a fun way to get in a little more math practice.  

Today's featured FREEBIE is a sweet "You are cent-sational" craft, which would be fun for students to make after they have learned to identify all of the coins.  

To add some writing, have students write why they feel they are "cent-sational" on the back.  To tie the craft into Presidents' Day, have them choose a President that they felt was awesome and write why they think he was the best.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  The wind is howling outside my office window, but the sun is shining in; so I might venture out in this 2 degree weather, or not . . . Wishing you a super-duper day.

"Believe you can and you're half-way there." - Teddy Roosevelt

 1-2-3 Come Do Some Coin Activities With Me!

Since President's Day is in February, I did a lot of coin related activities with my students during that month.  We learned a bit about our US presidents at the same time practicing coin identification.

I made up a set of coin anchor chart posters that you may find helpful. Print them off; mount on a variety of colors of construction paper; laminate and then affix a real coin using a glue dot.  They make a nice bulletin board, as well as giant flashcards.

The packet also includes entire sheets of each coin, so that you can make manipulatives, games, and math centers. 

There are also separate templates for each coin featuring the head and tail side. Simply fold, cut, glue and laminate.  Punch a hole at the top and suspend them from the ceiling. 

Several coin conversion posters are included as well.  i.e. How many pennies make up each coin?  This anchor chart is a fun way to practice skip counting by 10s, as I made lots of groups of ten pennies.

Another visual that I use is a coin Venn diagram.  I believe that if a child has to compare and contrast the coins, it will help them identify them as separate units. 

You can do these as a whole group, as an independent worksheet or partner activity.  I pass out real coins for children to examine.  Completed projects make a nice bulletin board.  Making a coin Venn diagram also helps reinforce descriptive writing, as children use lots of adjectives while comparing.

Since putting a puzzle together, was one of our Y5's standards, as well as counting backwards from 10 to 1 and skip counting by 10s, I designed these coin-themed number puzzles. 

Print and laminate for an independent center, or run them off and give children a choice.  They color, trim, mix up their pieces and then put their puzzle together.  For an interesting mosaic craftivity, have students glue their pieces to a sheet of construction paper, leaving a small space in-between each piece.

Ten frames are also wonderful for visual learners.  With that in mind, I designed a set of 10 frames for pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, plus extra tiles of each, so you can run them off and use them as manipulatives. Click on the link to view/download the 10 Frames Coin Packet.

There's nothing like saying "Would you like to play a game?" to grab your students' attention.  I used dice to help my Y5's  subitize, (Quickly identify how many in a group, without having to count.) so I designed the Coins On A Roll dice game. 

Simply run off the coin bookmarks.  Students pick a partner and take turns rolling the dice.  If they roll a one they color in the penny.  If they roll a two, they color in the second coin, which is a nickel and so on.   However, if someone rolls a six, they lose their turn. 

The first child who colors in all of the coins on ther bookmark is the winner.  The game is also a nice opportunity to review ordinal numbers as well. Before the game starts, ask children what the first coin is, the last coin, third coin etc. is.  Later, when children are done playing the game, for a quick whole-group assessment, have them cover the names of the coins and ask them to: "Point to the penny."  "Now point to the quarter." and so on.  Click on the link to view/download the Coins On A Roll dice game.

If your school requires you to send homework home, or if you need some coin-themed worksheets for early finishers to do, click on the link to view/download the 10-page Coin Worksheet packet. These are also great for Daily 5 word work or a sub folder.  

For a more advanced activity, students can make a Flip For Facts File Folder. They are a simple and effective way to introduce research to early elementary students.  Children search for interesting facts Online, choose their favorites, and then put them into their own words. 

As with my other flip for facts file folders, I've included several pages of how to explain citations to your kiddos. Helpful links are also provided.  The Flip For Facts File Folders are a nice pre-cursor to writing a report. 

Finally, to help review coin facts as well as grammar, I designed 30 coin-themed grammar cards. Students circle letters that should be capitalized and add end punctuation. 

You can do this with a pocket chart and call on students, or pass one card out to each child, to correct with a dry erase marker. 

After eveyone has shared their card, have students choose 3-6 cards and rewrite the sentences correctly.  This is a great Daily 5 word work activity.

That's it for today.  Thanks for visiting. I hope you found a few things to help make learning about coins a bit more fun. 

For all of my FREE coin activities, click on the link to zip on over to the money section of TeachWithMe.com

The wind is howling outside my window, so it's time for a well-deserved hot cocoa break.  Wishing you a warm and snuggly day.

"Money isn't the most important thing in life, but it's reasonably close to oxygen, on the 'gotta have it' scale." -Zig Ziglar

 1-2-3 Come Do Some Christmas Coin Activities With Me

Here is a quick, easy and fun game to help reinforce coins (penny, nickel, dime & quarter) that would be perfect for a December math activity, or your Christmas party day.

You can run off the Christmas tree on green construction paper and have students trim, or simply run off the template on white paper and have children color their tree.

Pass out a set of paper coins to each student. They color and cut them out, and then pick a partner, taking turns rolling a dice four times. 

Their 1st roll equals how many penny ornaments they will glue to their tree, the 2nd roll is for nickels and so on. 

I've included a poster for you to hang up for children to refer to.  To practice more math, I've provided a worksheet extension for the game, where students fill in data. 

There are several options for different levels of study. I've also included completed samples to help clarify things.

For more coin identification practice, there's also a "color the coins" worksheet.  Color words are also reinforced. 

One worksheet simply has students count the coins; another has them count each type of coin and then total them. 

Click on the link to view/download the Cent-sational Tree Trimming packet.

If you'd like to see all of the FREE money activities I have on TeachWithMe, click on the link to pop on over to that section of my site.  One of the things I think you may find particularly helpful, might be the coin anchor charts.

Thanks for visiting.  Our refrigerator "died" Friday, so I have some major clean & toss chores to get to, before the new one arrives this afternoon.  Wishing you a happy and productive day. 

  "Magic makes believers out of everyone, especially at Christmas." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do A Few More Coin Activities With Me!

I had quite a few requests for some specific coin-related lessons, so I made time to get these designed, as I think many others will find them helpful as well.

The ever-popular 10 frames packet collection, has really grown!  I think I've covered all of the monthly themes, but am happy to make others. 

Karissa, from California, says she has collected them all, and wondered if I could make some with coins on them for her kinders.  

I've included 10 frames for pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, plus extra tiles of each, so you can run off and use them as manipulatives.  Using real pennies would also be fun for your kiddos.  Click on the link to view/download the 10 Frames Coin Packet.

Connie, in Delaware, teaches preschool and wondered if I had any coin games?  I liked to use dice to help my Y5's  subitize, (Quickly identify how many in a group, without having to count.) so I designed the Coins On A Roll dice game. 

Simply run off the coin bookmarks.  Students pick a partner and take turns rolling the dice.  If they roll a one they color in the penny.  If they roll a two, they color in the second coin, which is a nickel and so on.   However, if someone rolls a six, they lose their turn. 

The first child who colors in all of the coins on ther bookmark is the winner.  This game also provides a teachable moment to review ordinal numbers as well.   Click on the link to view/download the Coins On A Roll dice game.

Quite a few teachers asked if I could make some worksheets involving coins.  Many of them were required to send homework home and several needed something for early finishers to do. 

These are also great for Daily 5 word work or a sub folder.  Click on the link to view/download the 10-page Coin Worksheet packet.

I also had several homeschooling moms and teachers who were looking for some crafts with a coin theme, so I  re-designed the coin dangler. 

My Y5's enjoyed making the "Money Matters Mobiles."  They looked wonderful swirling and twirling from our hallway ceiling. 

They're also an easy way to review sizes (small-medium and large) as well as the circle shape, and provide great cutting practice too. 

I opted to add the paper dollar to the top and cut out my students' school picture, so they could glue it over Washington's face. 

My report card standards only required my Y5's to know the penny, nickel, dime and quarter, but I've also included templates for the half dollar and dollar coins as well.  Click on the link to view/download the Money Matters Coin Dangler craftivity.

Finally, Connie, from Oregon, really liked the Olympics flip for facts file folder activity, that was included in the Olympic writing packet and asked if I had one for coins.  I thought this was a wonderful idea, so I got right to it. 

File folder facts are a simple and effective way to introduce research to early elementary students.  Children search for interesting facts Online, choose their favorites, and then put them into their own words. 

As with the Olympic file folder, I've also included several pages of how to explain citations to your kiddos and provide links too. 

The Flip For Facts File Folders are a nice pre-cursor to writing a report.  Click on the link to view/download the Coin Flip For Facts File Folder Packet.

Thanks for visiting.  Feel free to PIN away.  As always, if you too have something you're looking for, simply drop me an e-mail at: diane@teachwithme.com and I'll see what I can do.  

 "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education!" -Mark Twain

2 pages.

Help reinforce coin identification with this quick, easy and fun dice game. Students choose a partner and take turns rolling the dice. If they roll a one they color the penny; if they roll a two they color the second coin (the nickel) and so on.  However, if they roll a six they lose their turn.  The first one to color all of the coins on their bookmark is the winner.  This is also a nice opportunity to review ordinal numbers as well.

1-2-3 Come Do Some More Coin Activities With Me

The more opportunities you give students to experience coins, the better chance they have of latching on to some sort of comparison, fact or piece of trivia that will help them identify the coins. 

Making the Coin Autograph Booklet is a fun way to do that.  Run off copies for all of your students, or simply make one for yourself and share your teacher’s copy with them.

I did a bit of research to see if I could find the the President’s signatures, and found them extremely interesting. Washington and Jefferson wrote with feather quills, so set up a center activity where your students can write their name with a feather-dipped in paint.  

I did this for a Constitution Day activity and have a template for that you can use.  Click on the link to view/download the quill page from Activities For Constitution Day.

To get some name writing practice in, include an extra page with the booklet and have students collect some autographs of their friends, or to expedite things, have each student sign one paper, and  run off copies for everyone, entitled Your Classmate’s Autographs. Click on the link to view/download the Coin Autograph Booklet.

Set up a center with these 6 coin puzzles and help your students practice counting, counting backwards from 10 to 1, and skip counting by 10's to 100, as they review the various coins.  Click on the link to view/download the coin puzzle packet.

Another way to review coins as well as skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's, and 10's is with these President trace and write skip counting skip counting cards. 

I used nickels for students to count by 5's with, and dimes when they count by 10's. 

Covers are included if you want your kiddos to make Itty Bitty Coin Counting booklets. Click on the link to view/download the coin cards. 

When I'm studying something with my students, I try and cover several standards. 

With that in mind, I designed 30 grammar coin cards.  Use them as pocket cards and read them as a whole group.   This is an interesting way to review facts about the various coins.  

Using a dry erase marker, call on students to circle any letters that should be capitalized and have them add end punctuation as well.   I made enough cards so that you can pass one out to each student. 

When everyone has shared their corrected card, put several on the board and have children rewrite the sentences correctly on a sheet of paper.  Click on the link to view/download the 30 grammar coin cards.

The Dollar Shapes Up is another money-themed easy reader that reviews shapes.  Click on the link to view/download it.  

Finally, My Buck Book is an easy reader as well, and reviews ways students can make a dollar.  Click on the link to view/download it. 

That's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  I hope you found a few things that will help your students with coin identification.   To check out lots more money-themed FREEBIES, click on the link to zip on over to that section of my site, and feel free to PIN away.    

" If you are resolutely determined to make [something] of yourself, the thing is more than half done already." -Abraham Lincoln

1-2-3 Come Do Some Coin Activities With Me

Since our money features US Presidents, and Presidents Day is in February, I started our study of coins during this time.  Our week of President-themed activities, particularly Washington and Lincoln, made them aware of these famous individuals, so they could then recognize them on our currency.

Being able to identify coins and their value, was one of my Y5's report card standards.  This was not all that easy for some of my kiddos.  I think one of the reasons things were confusing, is that they felt the nickel should be worth more than a dime, simply because it was larger.

I found that the best way to help my students identify coins, was to plan a variety of activities that immersed them in hands-on activities.

Through discovering and explaining the differences when they "played" with the coins, (sorting by size and color; making patterns, flipping them and making tally marks, playing games, singing songs, as well as making crafts) the light bulb eventually came on.

To help my students with recognition, I designed a set of coin posters that show the front and back of the coin as well as how much they are worth.  Print them off and mount them on construction paper and then laminate.  Gluing a real coin to the posters is also helpful.

I've included several pages of coin conversion worksheets, as well as a template of each coin, so that you can run off manipulatives for your students.

Another set of anchor charts are the Coin Poster Poems .  My students quickly learned the chants with just a few repetitions. 

These really helped them remember the value of the coins. Click on the link to view/download the Coin Poster Poems

Making a Venn diagram is also a quick, easy and fun way for students to compare coins. I've made one for each type of combination for a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar and dollar.  Click on the link to view/download the coin Venn diagram packet.

To be able to use size as a comparison, I had my students make the small-medium and large "sorting coins" craftivity.

Another way for them to see size differences was by making a Coin Flip Booklet. 

Each month my Y5's enjoyed making a flip booklet of some sort.  I think it was the secretive and surprise element of discovering something hidden under a flap that they found intriguing. 

The Coin Flip Booklet, helped them see the size differences of the coins as they colored, cut and glued them to the front, arranging them from smallest to largest.

We'd discuss the other attributes of the coins , jot the answers on the board, and then students would write these facts underneath the appropriate flap, referring to the board for spelling help.  

I also wanted to review tally marks as an easy way for children to practice the value of the coins.  To help my kiddos remember how to make tally marks, I made a visual for them and hung it on our white board. 

Using glue dots, I glued 4 Popsicle sticks of one color on a sheet of construction paper, numbered them and then crossed the 5^th one over using a different color stick.  I demonstrated this in front of them and then left the poster up.

The coin "flip" book activity, was an excellent segue to flipping a coin and keeping track via tally marks, so once again, I'd refer to the Popsicle stick tally mark poster. 

Students chose a partner and flipped a penny as many times as they could for 30-seconds, making tally marks each time they flipped heads, and each time they flipped tails, then we'd review our results.

Click on the link to view/download the "It makes 'cents' to _________ " Coin Flip Booklet.

I also used Popsicle sticks to make coin "puppet paddles."  I find that students learn so much better with manipulatives, all the more if they make their own, because they are reinforcing concepts as they put their projects together. 

Not only will your kiddos enjoy making their coin paddles, they'll have fun playing the "What am I?" coin game.  It's interesting for them, and a quick and easy way for you to whole-group assess as well. 

Run off the coin templates on white construction paper.  Students color, cut and glue their paper coins to the top of a Popsicle stick.  Have them glue the penny and nickel back-to-back and the dime and quarter back-to-back. 

The photo shows the front as well as the back of the coin sticks.  This way you can review all 4 coins, but your students only have to manipulate 2 paddles. 

I made a set with real coins for me to use, so that students were able to see the real coins as we played the game.  I used 4 different Popsicle sticks.

After I gave the clues, I would hold up the appropriate coin paddle and ask: "Do you have the penny paddle showing?" so that students could self-correct before moving on to the next coin.

I've included a page of clues that you read one at a time.  When students think they have identified the coin, they raise their coin paddle, so that the correct coin faces the teacher.

As the teacher continues to read the clues, students can change their mind one time, but not after the teacher reads: "What am I?"  With just a glance, you can see who has the correct answer.  Play continues 'til you have given all of the coin clues.   

Have students keep their coin sticks in their desks/cubbies, so that you can play the game daily/weekly. When the novelty has worn off, or when students can identify the coins they can take them home.

You can also use the coin paddles to help students with spatial directions.  i.e. "Hold the penny paddle in your left hand. Show me the quarter stick in your right hand. Put the dime beside the nickel etc."

Likewise, you can review body parts and have children put the penny on their thigh, the nickel on their wrist, the dime on their hip etc.  Click on the link to view/download the Coin Popsicle Stick Puppets. 

Finally, once your students can identify all of the coins, reward them with a certificate of praise.  Click on the link to grab it.

Thanks for visiting today.  Be sure and stop back tomorrow for lots  more coin FREEBIES.  Feel free to PIN away.

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years." -Abraham Lincoln

Leap Day Coin Game: Let's Leap To 29

To coincide with their studies of Lincoln and Washington, many teachers start their intense study of coins in February,  so I thought it would be fun to make up a game for Leap Day, using pennies, nickels, dimes and a quarter, to help review those coins.

I find that the more times you can immerse children in hands-on activities, that involve the concepts you’re trying to teach them, the better chance you have of having the perverbial lightbulb go on, as they latch on to something that will help them differenciate the coins.

What better way to do that than by playing a game!

Since Leap Day falls on the 29^th and I’m trying to get that fact stuck into my students’ heads, as well as the fact that this is an extra day, since February usually has only 28 days, I made the game Leap To .29 Cents.

I also want students to try and figure out what their best chances are of reaching 29 the quickest will be, depending on the column of coins they choose.

A discussion about strategy can follow of whether column choice matters and why.

I’ve also provided a graph to see which column won the game the most to see if it really did make a difference.

Students choose a partner and take turns spinning the coin spinner.

Whatever coin their paperclip lands on they color in that coin.

If they have already colored in those coins it becomes their partner’s turn.

Play continues ‘til the timer rings.

If someone has not reached 29, the student who is closest to 29 is the winner.

I hope this gives you another idea for your bag of tricks for Leap Day.

Click on the link to view/download Leap Day Coin Game, Leapin’ to 29.

Scroll down for my post from yesterday and the Leap Day Leapin’ Animals booklet and be sure and pop back tomorrow for more Leap Day activities.