Handling actual money is becoming less common. These money minute to win it games are a fun way for kids to practice a few money-handling skills.
Let’s lighten up the subject of money a bit today and get kids and teens more comfortable handling it.
These money minute to win it games will not only have kids handling physical money again, but they'll even have fun while practicing a few money skills!
Money Minute to Win It Games
Use these money minute to win it games for some fun ways to get kids and teens practice with:
- Coin identification
- Coin values
- Giving change
- etc.
1. Dollar Bill Folds Game
Supplies needed: a dollar bill for each team to work with, and a timer
How many times can you fold a dollar bill in 60 seconds?
It gets tougher and tougher to fold a dollar bill the smaller the folds become.
Set a timer for 60 seconds, and see who can make the most folds in that time.
Hint: Make sure each person counts as they go along.
2. Blind Penny Stacks (Team Play)
Supplies needed: a big pile of all kinds of coins, a blindfold, a ruler, and a timer
Who can build the tallest penny stack in 60 seconds? Well…it’s not going to be that easy.
Put a big pile of coins in the middle of a table. Set a timer for 60 seconds.
Kids can work in teams of two, with one person being blindfolded, and the other person describing to them where the pennies are.
Teams race against one another as one person guides the other to find one penny at a time from the pile, then to stack the pennies.
At the end of 60 seconds, if the winning team tower is not clear, then have students measure the height of each stack to determine who won.
Hint: the fun thing about this? You get better and better at being able to recognize the coins by touch alone!
3. Mystery Money Box Guessing Game
Supplies needed: one type of each coin (penny, nickel, dime, and quarter), a box, and a timer
Get a small mystery box (I got the one in the image from Dollar Tree for just $1.25), and put one of each type of coin into it.
Pair students together, and set a timer for 60 seconds.
One student will need to blindly guess what coin the other person has pulled out of the box, using only clues and facts about the coin to do it (if you think there might be cheating, then use a blindfold).
Clues can include:
- Penny: Abraham Lincoln, made of copper/is brownish/tealish, is worth 1 cent, etc.
- Nickel: Thomas Jefferson, Monticello (Jefferson’s home) is on the back, it’s silver colored, is worth 5 cents, etc.
- Dime: Franklin D. Roosevelt, the back has a torch with an olive branch and an oak branch, edges are reeded, is silver colored, is small, is worth 10 cents, etc.
- Quarter: George Washington, various backs, edges are reeded, it’s silver colored, it’s larger, is worth 25 cents, etc.
Hint: you can make this more difficult/easier by the clues they’re allowed to give, such as telling students they cannot share the coin’s monetary value as a clue.
4. Build $1 Coin Rows
Supplies needed: a big pile of coins, and a timer
There are lots of different ways to count to $1.00.
Students will build $1 rows of coins, as many as they can, in 60 seconds. Whoever builds the most rows, wins.
5. Transaction Change Shuffle
Supplies needed: a bunch of coins, a large piece of paper or poster board, a sharpie marker, scratch paper, pencils, and a timer
Draw a circle in the center of the poster or large piece of paper. Then draw two lines on either side, where students will have to stay behind during the game. Include a piece of scratch paper and pencils on each side for students to use.
Put a pile of coins in the center where both students can reach.
Write out each of these store transactions on an index card and put them in a pile, face down.
Set the timer for 60 seconds, and have two students face off by pulling a card, solving the math equation, then giving the coins a push with the eraser-end of their pencil into the circle (from behind the line).
Whoever completes it first by pushing the right coin amounts into the circle (and in under 60 seconds), wins.
Hint: do you think your students need more time? You can give them 2 minutes to work through this one – or any time you think. It’s up to you!
Store Transactions to Write on Index Cards:
1. Luisa’s shirt purchase comes to $28.97. She hands the cashier $30.00. How much change does she get back?
Answer: $1.03 (could be 4 quarters and 3 pennies, or 10 dimes and 3 pennies, etc.).
2. Robert’s grocery purchase comes to $49.44. He hands the cashier $50.00. How much change does he get back?
Answer: $0.56 (two quarters, 1 nickel, and 1 penny, or 5 dimes, 1 nickel, and 1 penny, etc.).
3. Addison’s book purchase comes to $15.27. She hands the cashier $16.00. How much change does she get back?
Answer: $0.73 (could be 2 quarters, 2 dimes, and 3 pennies, or 7 dimes and 3 pennies, etc.).
4. Juan’s coffee purchase comes to $2.67. He gives the cashier $3.00. How much change does he get back?
Answer: $0.33 (could be 3 dimes and 3 pennies, or 1 quarter, 1 nickel, and 3 pennies, etc.).
6. Dollar Count Hustle
Supplies needed: a bunch of coins, and a timer
Your child has 60 seconds to use the pile of change and stack together as many stacks of coins equaling $1.00’s as they can.
Here’s a free printable reference sheet you can keep at this money game station to help students with counting coins to $1.00.
7. Coin Value Hustle
Supplies Needed: a big pile of coins, and a timer
Students have 60 seconds to order as many rows from lowest-valued coins to the highest-valued coins (the penny, the nickel, the dime, the quarter) as they can.
The person with the most correct rows at the end, wins!
Amanda L. Grossman
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