Counting Coins
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Basics on the topic Counting Coins
Counting Coins
What does it mean to count coins? How do you count UK coins? In this video, we explore adding coins together by adding the amount of each coin from largest to smallest. Take a look below to learn how to count coins.
Revision – Coins UK
When learning coins (UK), there are eight different coins that we will learn about. In this text on adding coins UK, we will just focus on the five coins with the lowest values.
| Coin | Worth |
|---|---|
| 1 p | 1 pence |
| 2 p | 2 pence |
| 5 p | 5 pence |
| 10 p | 10 pence |
| 20 p | 20 pence |
- 1 pence or 1 p which is the lowest value coin. It is round in shape and is a copper colour.
- 2 pence or 2 p which is also round and copper coloured but is larger than the 1 p.
- 5 pence or 5 p which is round and is silver in colour.
- 10 pence or 10 p which is round and silver coloured but is larger than the 5 p.
- 20 pence or 20 p which is silver coloured and is a heptagon shape.
Counting Strategies for Adding Coins KS1
One of the strategies we can use to help us know how much money we have is to count by adding coins.
| Step # | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Label the amount of each coin. |
| 2 | Use a number line to add the values together. Start the number line with the largest value coin. |
| 3 | Count forwards by the amounts of the other coins you need to add. |
| 4 | Find the total by looking at where we landed on the number line. |
Counting Coins – Example
Below is an example of some coins that Zuri needs to add in order to buy a new sticker. She can use a number line when adding up coins to find out if she has the right amount.
Start by labelling the coins and put the largest value coin one the left of the number line.
The largest value coin here is a 10 p, so we can start with that.
Next, count forwards by the values of the other coins.
Finally, the number we land on is the cost.
If we count forwards the value of the other coins, what number do we land on?
We land on the number thirty-six, meaning Zuri’s new sticker costs thirty-six pence.
How To Add Coins – Summary
Remember when learning how to count coins follow these steps:
Start by labelling the value of each coin.
Next, create a number line and put the largest value coin on the left.
Then, count forwards by the values of the other coins.
Finally, the number you land on is the cost.
At the end of the video, there are exercises for continued practice of counting coins as well as adding coins worksheets.
Transcript Counting Coins
"Ooo, I really fancy an ice cream!." "Did you see that? Ice cream!" "Wow, there are so many options!" "We will need to count our coins carefully to find out how much each item costs." Counting coins. Zuri and Freddie are buying ice cream. They will need to add their coins to see what they can buy. In the United Kingdom, we use pounds and pence as our currency or money. We have a variety of notes and coins. We use eight different coins. Today we are going to think about the five coins with the lowest values. This is a twenty pence, or twenty p, coin. It is a silver colour and is a heptagon shape as it has seven sides. This is a ten pence, or ten p, coin. It is silver and round in shape. This is a five pence, or five p, coin. It is also silver and round in shape but it is smaller than a ten p. This is a two pence, or two p, coin. It is round in shape and is a copper colour. This is a one pence, or one p, coin. It is also called a penny. It is round in shape and is a copper colour but is smaller than a two p. Let's see which ice-creams Zuri and Freddie would like. Zuri wants to buy the Purple Polkadot Blast, but needs to know how much it costs. To buy her first ice-cream, Zuri needs three ten p coins, one 5 p coin and one penny. We can add the coins together to find the cost. First, label the value of each coin. Now, let's use a number line to add the values together. Always begin your number line with the largest value coin. The ten p is the largest value of the coins that Zuri has, so, we can start with ten. Then, count along by the value of each coin. We can count in tens for the ten ps that we have. Then, we can count five more for the five p. After that, we can add on one for the penny. Finally, we find the cost by looking at where we landed on the number line. The number we landed on is thirty-six. Which means Zuri's ice cream costs thirty-six pence. Now, let's take a look at what Freddie wants to buy. "Everything looks so good!" Freddie's first choice, the Rainbow Penguin Pop, has six coins that Freddie needs to count and add together. It has two twenty p coins, three ten p coins, and a 5 p coin. How much does his lolly cost? Remember, start by labelling the value of each coin. Next, begin our number line with the largest value coin. The largest value coin that Freddie has is a twenty p. That means we can put twenty at the start of our number line. The next step is to count on for each coin that we have. There are two twenty p coins, so we can count by steps of twenty. Then, there are three ten p coins, which means we need to count forward in tens three times. Finally we have a 5 p coin. The last step is to find the cost by looking at the final number we land on on the number line. How much does Freddie's rainbow penguin pop cost? It costs him seventy-five p. Before we see if Freddie and Zuri are enjoying their ice-creams, let's summarise. Today we explored counting coins. We learned about the five coins with the lowest values 20 p, 10 p, 5 p, 2 p and 1 p. Twenty pence coins are silver and are heptagon shaped. Ten p and five p coins are also silver but are round in shape. A ten p coin is bigger than a five p coin. Two p coins are round and are copper coloured. Pennies are also round and copper coloured but are smaller than two p coins. We also practised counting, or adding coins using a number line. Remember, when counting coins using a number line, always start by labelling the coins you have. Next, begin your number line with the largest value coin. Then, use the value of each coin to count forwards to find the price. Finally, find the total cost by looking at the final sum. Let's see how Zuri and Freddie are enjoying their ice-cream! "I think we got a little bit excited about the ice cream van..." " But it was tasty!"
Counting Coins exercise
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Can you find the correct combination of coins?
HintsHere is an example of how two coins could be added to make 15p. Could you think of a similar one to make 30p?
Have a go at adding up the coins in each of the boxes and see which ones equal 30p. You could start with the coin that has the greatest value.
Make sure you have checked all of the combinations, as there is more than one correct combination.
SolutionHere are the two combinations of coins that make 30p.
One way is:
10p + 10p = 20p
20p + 5p = 25p
25p + 5p = 30pAnother way is:
20p + 10p = 30p
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Can you choose the correct coins for Zuri?
HintsThink about which numbers add together to make 65. It might help to start by adding the coins with the greatest value.
Starting a number line like this might help you to add the coins together.
Using the number line above, you would start with the 20p coin. This might help you.
SolutionThese are the coins that you would need to make 65p.
20p + 20p = 40p
40p + 20p = 60p
60p + 5p = 65p
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How can you make these amounts?
HintsUse a number line to add up the coins in the image to find the total amount.
Here is an example of adding coins on a number line to make 50p.
SolutionHere are some of the different ways you can make these amounts.
- 10p + 5p + 5p = 20p
- 20p + 10p + 5p = 35p
- 20p + 10p + 10p = 40p
- 20p + 20p + 5p = 45p
There weren't any coins making 25p in this question. Can you think of any combinations of coins to make 25p?
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Can you order the total amounts?
HintsAdd up the coins to find the total amount of each item.
Find the total of one ice-cream, then compare the totals of the others to it until all four are placed in the correct order.
SolutionHere are the ice-creams ordered from lowest to highest value.
- The two blue blasts cost 60p:
40p + 20p = 60p
- The sundae cost 65p:
40p + 10p = 50p
50p + 10p = 60p
60p + 5p = 65p
- The two purple polka dot blasts cost 72p:
40p + 20p = 60p
60p + 10p = 70p
70p + 1p = 71p
71p + 1p = 72p
- The rainbow penguin pop cost 75p:
40p + 10p = 50p
50p + 10p = 60p
60p + 5p = 65p
65p + 5p = 70p
70p + 2p = 72p
72p + 2p = 74p
74p + 1p = 75p
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Can you match the coins to their value?
HintsThink about the colours and sizes of each coin.
Can you see any writing on the coin that might help you?
SolutionHere are the coins with their correct values.
Remember:
- 1p is a small, round, copper coloured coin.
- 2p is a large, round, copper coloured coin.
- 5p is a small, round, silver coloured coin.
- 10p is a large, round, silver coloured coin.
- 20p is quite small and is silver coloured. It is a heptagon shaped coin.
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Which coins do Freddie and Zuri need?
HintsUse a number line to add up the coins that you already know, then see what amount is missing.
You could start a number line like this.
Once you know which amount is missing, think about which coins could be used to make that amount.
SolutionThe picture shows you which coins to use to buy the rainbow penguin pop.
If we add up three 20p coins we get 60p. We know we need 75p. The difference between 60p and 75p is 15p. One way of making 15p is by using three 5p coins.
20p + 20p = 40p
40p + 20p = 60p
60p + 5p = 65p
65p + 5p = 70p
70p + 5p = 75p
______________________________________________________
For the purple polka dot blast:
Adding up 20p plus three 2p coins gives us 26p. The difference between 26p and 36p is 10p.
20p + 10p = 30p
30p + 2p = 32p
32p + 2p = 34p
34p + 2p = 36p
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For the mint chocolate sundae:
Adding up four 10p coins, two 2p coins and a 1p coin gives us 45p. The difference between 45p and 65p is 20p.
20p + 10p = 30p
30p + 10p = 40p
40p + 10p = 50p
50p + 10p = 60p
60p + 2p = 62p
62p + 2p = 64p
64p + 1p = 65p
________________
For the blue blast:
Adding up 20p, 5p and 1p gives us 26p. The difference between 26p and 30p is 4p. One way of making 4p is by using two 2p coins.
20p + 5p = 25p
25p + 2p = 27p
27p + 2p = 29p
29p + 1p = 30p
