Learning About Canadian Coins through Play – Money Concepts

My two favourite ways to incorporate money concepts into the K-3 classroom are with the best teaching cash register on the planet with Canadian money (I can’t wait to share my love of this cash register with you) and a student-led classroom economy (read all about that here).

Teaching Financial Literacy has had a makeover in the new 2020 Ontario Math Curriculum. Read more here to find out about the new expectations and resources for teaching children about money concepts. One of the first steps in learning about money is learning to identify the coins. 

Two Ways You Can Play with Money in Your Class

Example #1: Snack Bar 

In our school, we had a breakfast program in which all students were welcome to take part. A few simple, healthy snacks would be delivered to our classroom a few mornings each week. On these days, we set up a snack bar at a table. We would write a quick menu and write the cost of each item. A student wrote a sign for our Snack Bar. To keep it simple and at a developmentally appropriate level for students, we drew the coin that needed to be traded for each item.

Students would visit the bank first where they were given the coins they needed to buy their snack. Then they went to the Snack Bar and practiced asking for what they wanted, giving the money to the cashier, and receiving their snack. (If they wanted more, they were welcome to visit the bank and the snack bar again. No snacks were withheld for lack of money.)

From this, students learned what actions people take when they spend money, how to recognize different coins (even if they didn’t know the names or what they’re worth), and that once you spend money, you receive something in return but your money is gone.

If you don’t have a breakfast program, you could do this with school supplies (students could buy a new pencil) or with library books (set up a book store).

Example #2: Play Store

You could really set up any type of store you and your students can dream of, but the key is to narrow the focus of how money is used to the learning goals you’re trying to achieve. 

In Kindergarten, you might want students to learn the names and values of the coins. Let’s say you want to focus on having students learn the quarter. You could have a store called the Quarter Store where everything costs 25 cents. Have students make price tags that say 25 cents and label items. Give students play money and have them find the quarters they need to purchase items.

In Grade 3, when students learn to “calculate change for simple cash transactions of whole dollar amounts,” you could incorporate a little bit of play by having a chair sale, first thing in the morning. Give them each a $5 bill and tell them that their chairs cost $4. Play through the transaction by getting into the role of a chair salesperson. Keep in mind, some students may need to see a visual of 5 loonies being paid and one being returned as change. When you return the $1, you could suggest that students pool their remaining change together to buy a special reward in your class, such as an early recess or a favourite class game. 

Playing with money gives students memorable opportunities to act out real scenarios and use money, rather than just study it.

My Favourite Teaching Cash Register

I would’ve added this cash register to our Baby Registry, I love it so much.

Lessons and Activities for Teaching Kids About Canadian Money

1. This is a set of Google Slides lessons and interactive games about Canadian money to directly teach the coins and bills up to $50. Slides can be converted to Powerpoint or PDF if you wish.