Learning With Money Activity Kit

Learning with Play Money: Hands-On Activities for Financial Fun!

This interactive book of play money provides a fun and engaging way for children to develop essential math and financial skills. With cut-out bills and creative learning activities, students will practice recognizing values, counting money, making change, and solving real-world money problems-all through hands-on play!

Activities Include:

1. Recognizing Value - Show a bill and ask, "What is the value of this bill?"
2. Counting Money - Pile up some bills and ask, "How much money is here?" Or, place bills in a wallet and ask, "How much is inside?"
3. Understanding Equality - Show different bill denominations and ask, "How many smaller bills equal this larger bill?"
4. Multiplication with Money - A toy costs $2. If you buy one for yourself, one for your sibling, and one for a friend, how much do you need?
5. Making Exact Payments - A new drone costs $123. What combination of bills can be used to pay the amount? What is the fewest number of bills needed?
6. Adding Prices - Mark prices on pretend groceries and ask, "What is the total?" Have students use play money to "pay" the amount.
7. Rounding Up - Ask, "If an item costs $47, how many $10 bills do you need to pay for it?"
8. Checking Affordability - Give the student some play money and ask, "Do you have enough to buy a pony for $100? If not, how much more do you need?"
9. Race to $20 Game - Students take turns adding bills to a pile, trying to make exactly $20. If they go over, they're out, and the game restarts!
10. Comparing Values - Show two bills and ask, "Which is worth more?" (Sometimes use two bills of the same denomination for a challenge!)
11. Money War Game - Players place bills from their stacks in the center. The highest bill wins! In case of a tie, players draw four more bills, with the fourth bill breaking the tie.
12. Money Riddles - Example: Jill's total is $16. She pays with four bills. What combination of bills did she use?