Create a money memory game for use during transitional times or in math learning centers or consider making a few game sets for whole class play. Teachers can construct the game cards by writing a coin's value on one piece of white printer paper. On another, the teacher places the white paper over a coin and using the side of a pencil lead or a crayon, makes a coin rubbing. Paste the two pieces of paper on different pieces of colored construction paper so the students are unable to see through them. Create added card pairs with other coins and coin combinations. When the game pieces are finished, the students shuffle and turn all cards over to play a memory match game by correctly pairing the value with the coin rubbing, one turn at a time.
Place any combinations of coins and dollar bills under a decorative piece of fabric on the front table of the classroom to create a sense of wonder for the money guessing game. The teacher gives the students one clue at a time and allows an opportunity for students on each of two teams to guess the correct amount. The team to correctly identify the amount is granted one point. Examples of clues may be that three items display a picture of George Washington and two are small, one is light in weight. The answer would be $1.02.
The teacher places two of each type of coin into a four cloth or paper bags including pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars and whole dollar coins. Arrange students into four teams. Each team receives a bag of coins but instruct them to refrain from looking inside. In relay race fashion, students run forward, take one coin from the bag without looking, place it underneath a white piece of paper and use the side of a pencil to create a number of coin rubbings that when added together equal $1. For example, if the student selects a dime, he must create 10 coin rubbings to equal the whole dollar. The first team to correctly rub $1 worth of coins for each member in a relay is the winner of the game.
Combine proper computer usage techniques with the concept of learning to count money by allowing students to play online games for children. Many websites such as smartygames.com, funbrain.com, mathcats.com and apples4theteacher.com contain varying levels of money games for kids to play and succeed by purchasing toys and making change in varying amounts of money. Many include both coins and dollar bills and can be adapted to international money options for international money study.