Money skills are an important part of navigating through life, and as teachers, it is up to us to find fun ways to teach our students these important skills. Starting in kindergarten, students can learn the basics of money with recognition and value skills of coins. As they continue through the grades, they can learn higher amounts of money and how to use them. Here are a few classroom activities and games about money for grades 1 through 4.
Money Bags
For this activity, the money skills are literally in the bag! Place an assortment of play money at the math learning center, along with a student-labeled paper lunch bag. On the paper bag, randomly write down five different amounts of money. Keep the labeled bags at the learning center so students can easily search for their name and find their bag when it’s their turn to go to that center.
When a student is at the math center they choose, they circle one of the money amounts and then must match that amount with the play money. They must fill their bag with the matching amount. Students at the center take turns switching bags and checking that they match. If the amount inside the bag matches with amount circled, the student checking the bag places an X over that amount. If the money doesn’t match, the money is placed back into the center. This continues until all five amounts on the paper bag have an X on them.
Coupon Math
Your students will get a kick out of this math skills activity. Bring in a variety of coupons for students to search through and clip out. Allow students to choose two coupons to write a creative math problem about. Students must create a story about their trip to the supermarket, and they must include the following: the price of each item, how much money he/she has spent, as well as how much they have saved with their coupon. They must also include the proper calculations for their math problem.
Money Toss
If you’re looking for a fun hands-on money skills game, this is it. Divide students into small groups, about four to a group works well. Give each group a bag of coins, paper and a pencil, a bowl, and a piece of masking tape. Students must adhere the tape to the floor and take about five steps back and then place the bowl on the floor. To play, one student sits by the bowl and is the “counter,” while the other students stand behind the tape and are the “tossers.” Students take turns tossing coins into the bowl. If the coin lands in the bowl, the counter adds the value to their count. Each group continues playing until they reach the desired amount set by the teacher. Then, a new counter is picked and play continues.
Classroom Sale
Students will love shopping and selling while learning valuable money skills during this garage sale-type activity. Ask students to bring in a few items that they would like to part with. Then, as a class, decide upon how much each item will sell for. Have students create fun price tags to place on the items. Once the items are labeled, tagged, and in place, set up a play cash register and let students shop. Give each student a small bag of play money and allow them to take turns shopping for an item. You can designate a student to be at the cash register or you can be. This is a great activity to for students to understand the value of money.
Money Sort
This is another great money skills activity for your learning center. At the center, place a divided tray (a plastic tray like a vegetable tray with the circle in the middle), and on that tray, label each section penny, nickel, dime, quarter. Then, place all of the coins in the middle circle and have students sort money into the appropriate sections on the tray.
Money skills are an essential component in any math curriculum. You can use the subject of money as a strategy to reinforce basic math in a more interesting and engaging way. All the while, you will be teaching your students necessary skills that they will use the rest of their lives.
