What students learn
Counting money combines two skills young students are still building: knowing each coin's value, and skip counting by 5s, 10s and 25s. Piggy Bank Math practices both at once. Students add coins until their total matches the target exactly.
- Penny = 1¢, nickel = 5¢, dime = 10¢, quarter = 25¢.
- Totals under a dollar are shown in cents (75¢), and larger totals in dollars and cents ($1.35), so students see both ways of writing money.
How the game works
Penny Prospect is the easier mode, with all four coins available. Coin Captain is harder: students get only two coin types at a time and larger totals, so they have to plan a combination instead of adding pennies until they get there. Every target can be made with at least three coins.
The piggy bank changes color as the total gets close to the target, which helps students notice when they're near. Going over the target twice ends the round, so they learn to slow down near the end. Difficulty ramps up as the round goes on.
Worked examples
Target: 41¢ (all coins)
quarter 25 → dime 35 → nickel 40 → penny 41
Start with the biggest coin that fits, then work down.
Target: 60¢ (Coin Captain: only dimes and quarters)
quarter 25 → quarter 50 → dime 60
A third quarter would overshoot to 75¢, so students have to stop and switch coins.
Common mistakes
Counting coins instead of cents ("I have 4 coins, so 4 cents"). Say the running total out loud with each click: "25, 35, 40, 41."
Mixing up the nickel and the dime because the dime is smaller. Talk about size versus value: the smallest coin isn't worth the least.
Overshooting. The color-changing piggy bank and the two-overshoot limit teach students to check before the last coin.
Ways to use it in class
- Printables. A free worksheet with an answer key and a two-to-a-page exit ticket match this game, ready to print or save as a PDF.
- Whole-class on the whiteboard. Students take turns choosing the next coin while the class counts aloud.
- Pair with real coins. Students build each target with plastic coins first, then check on screen.
- Math center. Five minutes of Penny Prospect, then move to Coin Captain once students can beat a best time.
- Exit ticket. "Show 37¢ two different ways."
Discussion questions
- What's the fewest coins you can use to make 30¢?
- Can you make 12¢ without pennies? Why or why not?
- Why does $1.05 have a dot in it but 75¢ doesn't?
Real-world connections
Paying for something with exact change, counting a piggy bank, making change as a cashier, and saving up for a toy all use the same reasoning.
Standards
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.C.8Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using $ and ¢ symbols appropriately.
Access and privacy
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