Discover the world of money! Learn about pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Master counting coins, skip counting with money, and combining different coins together!
Practice counting coins with these interactive money activities!
How much is each coin worth?
Add up these coins!
Drag coins to amounts!
🖱️ Drag options below to the correct boxes (computer) or click to move (mobile)
Which coins make 15¢?
Click all correct options
Learn everything about coins and counting money! Each concept includes real examples and tips.
A penny is worth 1 CENT (1¢)! It's copper-colored (reddish-brown) and has Abraham Lincoln on the front. The penny is the smallest value coin. Count pennies by ones: 1¢, 2¢, 3¢, 4¢, 5¢!
💡 Think of a penny as one step - small but important! Collect 100 pennies and you have $1.00!
Penny Jar
You have 8 pennies in your jar. That's 8¢! Count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 cents!
Gumball Machine
A small gumball costs 5 pennies. Count: 1¢, 2¢, 3¢, 4¢, 5¢ = 5 cents total!
Piggy Bank
You save 10 pennies. That's 10¢! Each penny adds one more cent!
Found Money
You find 3 pennies on the ground. Lucky day! That's 3¢!
Counting Up
Count 15 pennies: 1, 2, 3... 13, 14, 15¢. Pennies add up!
Mixing up pennies with dimes! Remember: Pennies are copper/brown and worth 1¢. Dimes are silver and worth 10¢!
A nickel is worth 5 CENTS (5¢)! It's silver-colored and bigger than a penny. Thomas Jefferson is on the front. One nickel equals FIVE pennies! Count nickels by fives: 5¢, 10¢, 15¢, 20¢!
💡 Think of a nickel as a shortcut - instead of counting 5 pennies, use 1 nickel! Much faster!
Buying Stickers
Stickers cost 5¢ each. Use 1 nickel to buy 1 sticker! Perfect match!
Two Nickels
You have 2 nickels. Count: 5¢, 10¢. That's 10 cents total!
Nickel Trade
Trade 5 pennies for 1 nickel at the bank. Same value, different coin!
Four Nickels
Count 4 nickels: 5, 10, 15, 20¢. Skip counting by 5s!
Arcade Game
Game costs 15¢. Use 3 nickels: 5¢ + 5¢ + 5¢ = 15¢!
Forgetting that a nickel equals 5 pennies! They're the same value, just a different coin.
A dime is worth 10 CENTS (10¢)! It's the smallest silver coin but has BIG value! Franklin D. Roosevelt is on the front. One dime equals TEN pennies or TWO nickels! Count dimes by tens: 10¢, 20¢, 30¢!
💡 Think of a dime as a super coin - tiny but powerful! The smallest coin with the biggest value (so far)!
Three Dimes
You have 3 dimes. Count by tens: 10¢, 20¢, 30¢. That's 30 cents!
Vending Machine
Snack costs 20¢. Use 2 dimes: 10¢ + 10¢ = 20¢. Perfect!
Coin Exchange
Trade 10 pennies for 1 dime. Or trade 2 nickels for 1 dime. Same value!
Five Dimes
Count 5 dimes: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50¢. That's half a dollar!
Shopping Cart
Item costs 40¢. Use 4 dimes: 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 40¢!
Thinking dimes are worth less because they're small! Remember: Dimes = 10¢, even though they're tiny!
A quarter is worth 25 CENTS (25¢)! It's the biggest coin we use! George Washington is on the front. One quarter equals 25 pennies, or 5 nickels, or 2 dimes + 1 nickel! Four quarters make $1.00!
💡 Think of a quarter as the king of coins - biggest and worth the most! Called 'quarter' because 4 of them = 1 whole dollar!
Gumball Machine
Big gumball costs 25¢. Use 1 quarter - perfect! Or use 2 dimes + 1 nickel!
Two Quarters
You have 2 quarters. Count: 25¢, 50¢. That's half a dollar!
Piggy Bank Savings
Save 4 quarters in your piggy bank. That's 25 + 25 + 25 + 25 = 100¢ = $1.00!
Arcade Tokens
Game costs 50¢. Use 2 quarters: 25¢ + 25¢ = 50¢!
Snack Purchase
Juice costs 75¢. Use 3 quarters: 25 + 25 + 25 = 75¢!
Forgetting that 4 quarters = $1.00! This is important for making change.
Each coin has a different VALUE! Penny = 1¢, Nickel = 5¢, Dime = 10¢, Quarter = 25¢. The value is what the coin is WORTH, not its size! A tiny dime is worth more than a big nickel!
💡 Think of coin values like superhero powers - it's not about size, it's about power (value)!
Value Comparison
1 dime (10¢) is worth MORE than 1 nickel (5¢), even though the nickel is bigger!
Same Value, Different Coins
10 pennies = 2 nickels = 1 dime. All equal 10¢, just different coins!
Building 25¢
Make 25¢ many ways: 1 quarter, OR 5 nickels, OR 2 dimes + 1 nickel, OR 25 pennies!
Value Order
From least to most: Penny (1¢) < Nickel (5¢) < Dime (10¢) < Quarter (25¢)!
Thinking bigger coins are always worth more! Size doesn't equal value - a dime is tiny but worth 10¢!
When you have different coins, count the BIGGEST values first! Start with quarters, then dimes, then nickels, then pennies. This makes counting faster and easier!
💡 Think of counting coins like eating dessert first - start with the biggest treats (highest values)!
Mixed Coins
You have 1 quarter, 2 dimes, 1 nickel. Count: 25¢ + 10¢ + 10¢ + 5¢ = 50¢!
Pocket Money
In your pocket: 2 dimes, 3 nickels. Count: 10 + 10 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 35¢!
Allowance
Get 3 quarters, 2 dimes. Count: 25 + 25 + 25 + 10 + 10 = 95¢!
Saving Up
You have 1 quarter, 1 dime, 2 nickels, 3 pennies. Count: 25 + 10 + 5 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 48¢!
Counting in the wrong order! Always count biggest to smallest: quarters → dimes → nickels → pennies.
Use SKIP COUNTING to count coins faster! For nickels, count by 5s. For dimes, count by 10s. For quarters, count by 25s. It's like using your multiplication superpowers!
💡 Think of skip counting as taking giant leaps instead of baby steps - you get there much faster!
Nickel Skip Count
5 nickels: Skip by 5s: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25¢. So much faster than counting by 1s!
Dime Skip Count
4 dimes: Skip by 10s: 10, 20, 30, 40¢. Easy peasy!
Quarter Skip Count
3 quarters: Skip by 25s: 25, 50, 75¢. Super fast!
Mixed Skip Counting
2 dimes, 3 nickels: 10, 20 (dimes), then 25, 30, 35 (nickels). Total: 35¢!
Forgetting what to skip count by! Nickels = 5s, Dimes = 10s, Quarters = 25s.
You can make the same amount of money with DIFFERENT coin combinations! There are many ways to make 25¢, 50¢, or any amount. This is called EQUIVALENT values!
💡 Think of coin combinations like different paths to the same destination - many ways to get there!
Making 20¢
Way 1: 2 dimes. Way 2: 4 nickels. Way 3: 1 dime + 2 nickels. Way 4: 20 pennies!
Making 30¢
Way 1: 3 dimes. Way 2: 6 nickels. Way 3: 2 dimes + 2 nickels. So many ways!
Making 50¢
Way 1: 2 quarters. Way 2: 5 dimes. Way 3: 1 quarter + 2 dimes + 1 nickel. Creative!
Shopping Choices
Toy costs 35¢. Pay with: 1 quarter + 1 dime, OR 3 dimes + 1 nickel, OR 7 nickels!
Change Game
Make 15¢ different ways: 3 nickels, OR 1 dime + 1 nickel, OR 15 pennies!
Thinking there's only ONE way to make an amount! Get creative - there are usually several combinations!
Take the practice quiz to test your coin counting skills!