Kindergarten · Number
Financial Literacy — Coins and Role-Play
Financial literacy begins with coins — their attributes, their names, and the idea that they represent value. Kindergarten financial literacy is not about making change; it is about understanding that money is a system of exchange, and that this system has rules. Role-playing in a classroom store or market gives students a safe, joyful context to practice using money, understand wants and needs, and make simple decisions about value.
LESSON VIDEO
▶
Lesson video
A short walkthrough to play in class or assign for flipped/at-home viewing.
WHAT STUDENTS WILL LEARN
✓Notice and describe attributes of Canadian coins: colour, size, images
✓Identify the names of Canadian coins: penny, nickel, dime, quarter, loonie, toonie
✓Role-play financial transactions in a classroom store, restaurant, or market using whole dollar amounts
✓Combine the values of coins to make purchases (e.g., a muffin costs 1)
✓Understand the concept of wants and needs in a community context
✓Connect to historical and Indigenous exchange systems: wampum beads, trade beads, barter
BUILDS ON