There is much excitement in third grade about the beginning of pretzel sales this week. Each year, third graders sell pretzels to supplement a special activity related to their curriculum. In the past, this has included visits from a Chinese dance troupe and field trips to Philadelphia's Chinatown. A big part of pretzel sales is counting coins and making change. Pretzels are sold for 75 cents each and students pay for them with a variety of coins and bills, which means that the third graders need to be comfortable mentally calculating the money that they are given as well as the necessary change.
To prepare for pretzel sales, we began with a review of the coins; what the front and back looked like as well as the value of each coin. Student then practiced counting groups of coins in a variety of ways over a number of days. We played coin bingo; we played a game called "I Have, Who Has?" and we did worksheets where students identified and counted groups of coins. Students also practiced buying and selling pretzels to give each other practice with making change.
Counting coins would be a great skill to continue practicing at home. Give your child a few coins and have them find the total. You can also have then find change for small amounts of money (under $1, $5 or $10).
There are also some fun online games to practice calculating coins...
Coin Bingo
Counting Money
Making Change (more challenging)
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