It’s never too early to begin encouraging coin recognition, and this coin sort activity is such a fun and simple way to do that with young learners.
This easy-to-setup coin sorting math activity can be helpful for preschoolers who are curious about coins but it can also be perfect for older students who are struggling with coin recognition, the value of different coins, decision-making skills, critical thinking skills, and more.
Spaces for Sorting Do you have some large paper coins, All About Coins books, or even four different colored pieces of construction paper? Peek into the batch of learning resources you already own and grab something that might work!
Real Coins or Play Money There was a time when I thought play money was a must-have for educating my children at home. I eventually realized that if I’m regularly exposing them to the value/use of actual money, play money was unnecessary for us.
There are lots of different ways you can use this activity to meet the needs of your student.
Sure, we have used this as a way to separate pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters from one another – naming them, describing them, discussing the historical significance of what is on the front and back of each coin, learning the value of each coin, etc.
However, this has also been a fantastic way to spend a little extra time working on differentiating nickels from quarters.
Sorting by category is such an important skill for young learners to work on, and when the set-up offers them a hands-on learning experience, it is so engaging for them! Your learner might enjoy wrapping the coins they’ve sorted!