Coin Shop
Coin Shop is one of our free counting money games for ages 6 to 8. Tap coins to pay for each treat, then give change, with US coins or UK coins.
How to play
Tap coins to pay for each treat, then give change, with US coins or UK coins.
- Pick US coins or UK coins. The game starts with UK coins if your browser is set to British English and US coins otherwise, and you can switch any time.
- Pick a mode for these counting money games. In Pay you pay the price on the tag. In Give change the customer hands over a bigger coin or bill and you give back the difference.
- Tap coins in the till to put them in the tray. The tray shows the total as you go. Tap a coin in the tray to take it back.
- When the total is exactly right, press Pay (or Give change).
- Serve 8 customers to finish the round.
Stuck? After two tries on a customer, or when you press Show one way, the game shows a way to pay with the fewest coins. It never plays the coins for you.
What children learn
- Coin values: knowing what each coin is worth and counting mixed coins.
- Skip counting and adding: putting together 25s, 10s, 5s and 1s to reach an amount.
- Making change: finding the difference between the price and what was paid.
Guides for parents
Ideas for playing and talking about math away from the screen, related to Coin Shop.
Counting coins: how to teach kids to count money
Counting coins starts with the value of each US coin, then biggest first and counting on. See the steps, a worked example and making change by counting up.
How to read a clock: teaching a child to tell time step by step
How to read a clock and teach it to a child: hour hand first, then half past, quarter past and quarter to, five-minute steps, and analog versus digital.
Skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s: a parent's guide with a chart
Skip counting means counting in equal jumps. Learn how to teach counting by 10s, 5s and 2s, how to use a hundred chart, and how it leads to multiplication.
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Questions about Coin Shop
What are good counting money games for kids?
Good counting money games let children handle coins, watch a running total and pay an exact amount before they make change. Coin Shop does this with US coins or UK coins: tap coins into the tray, check the total, then press Pay. It suits ages 6 to 8.
How do I teach my child to count money?
Start with one kind of coin and count by its value: pennies by 1s, nickels by 5s, dimes by 10s. Then count the biggest coins first and add smaller ones on top (25, 35, 40, 41). Real coins and a pretend shop at home work well, and so does a game like Coin Shop where the tray shows the running total.
What is the easiest way to make change?
Count up from the price to the amount paid. If a treat costs 63¢ and the customer pays $1, add 2¢ to reach 65¢, then 10¢ to reach 75¢, then 25¢ to reach $1. The change is 2¢ + 10¢ + 25¢ = 37¢. Coin Shop’s Give change mode lets children build the change in a tray.
What coins does Coin Shop use?
US coins are the penny (1¢), nickel (5¢), dime (10¢) and quarter (25¢). UK coins are 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p and £1. The coins in the game are simple drawings that show the amount, not pictures of real coins.
What age learns about money in school?
In the US, Common Core introduces coins and their values in Grade 2, and many schools start earlier. In England, the national curriculum covers recognizing and using coins and notes in Key Stage 1 (ages 5 to 7). This game is made for ages 6 to 8.