Coin Shop: a counting money game for kids
Count the coins, pay for toys and treats, and work out the change. A free money game with US coins for grades 1 to 3.
🧒 Kids: count the coins in the purse, or tap coins to pay the price on the tag. Start with the biggest coin!
How to play Coin Shop
- Choose a game: Count the coins, Pay for it, or Make change.
- Choose a level, from pennies and nickels up to dollars and cents.
- Count the coins and tap the total, or tap coins into the pay tray and tap Pay.
- Tap a coin in the tray to take it back. Start over clears the tray.
- After 10 customers, see your stars and practice any amounts you missed.
What your child practices
Coin Shop practices naming coins, knowing their values and counting mixed coins (2.MD.C.8). The running total is hidden, so children have to count on themselves: 25, 35, 45, 50, 51.
Pay for it is the open-ended game. There are many ways to pay 45¢, and the game praises the fewest coins without marking other ways wrong. Make change practices counting up from the price to a dollar, which is how cashiers do it.
The four levels
| Level | Coins used | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Pennies and nickels | 1¢ and 5¢, up to 20¢ | Grade 1 |
| Add dimes | 1¢, 5¢ and 10¢, up to 50¢ | Grades 1–2 |
| Add quarters | All four coins, up to 99¢ | Grade 2 |
| Dollars and cents | Coins and $1 bills, up to $5 | Grades 2–3 |
In Make change, the levels go from prices in 10s up to change from a $5 bill. You can link to a game and level by adding ?mode=1 to 3 and ?level=1 to 4 to the address.
Tips for parents
- Play with real coins next to the screen. Let your child sort them before counting.
- Practice counting by 5s, 10s and 25s out loud. It makes counting coins much faster.
- Ask “Can you pay with fewer coins?” after each Pay for it round.
- At the shop, let your child count the change. It is the same skill as Make change.
In the classroom
Run Coin Shop on the projector as a class store. Pairs can agree on the coins before one child taps them in. It fits a lesson on money, and the money worksheet gives written practice afterwards.
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- Make 10 Pop: pop two bubbles that make 10.
- Fraction Frog: hop to fractions on a number line.
- Daily Number Puzzle: three new number puzzles every day.
- Clock Catch: read clocks and set the hands.
- Alligator Snap: compare numbers with greater than and less than.
- Place Value Pirates: count treasure in ones, tens and hundreds.
- Games by topic: addition · subtraction · multiplication · division · fractions · decimals · percents
Last reviewed
Questions parents ask
How do you play Coin Shop?
In Count the coins, add up the coins in the purse and tap the total. In Pay for it, tap coins to pay the exact price, then tap Pay. In Make change, work out the change from a dollar.
What grade is Coin Shop for?
Grades 1 to 3. Pennies and nickels suit grade 1, dimes and quarters suit grade 2 (2.MD.C.8), and dollars and making change suit grades 2 and 3.
What is the best way to count coins?
Sort the coins and start with the biggest. Count the quarters by 25s, then count on the dimes by 10s, the nickels by 5s and the pennies by 1s.
Does Coin Shop use real US coins?
It uses the four everyday US coins and the dollar bill: penny 1¢, nickel 5¢, dime 10¢ and quarter 25¢. Each coin shows its value, and the sizes match, so children notice the dime is the smallest coin but worth more than a nickel.
Is Coin Shop free?
Yes. It is free in the browser, with no sign-up and no ads. Best scores are saved only on your device.