Teaching Money in Maths: From Coins to Giving Change

Teaching Money in Maths: From Coins to Giving Change Updated 09-November-2026

Money is taught in primary maths from Year 1. It starts with recognising coins and notes and builds up to adding amounts, giving change and solving word problems with pounds and pence. Children often find it harder than parents expect. Fewer families use cash today, so many children rarely handle coins or see change being counted.

The good news is that money is one of the easiest maths topics to practise in everyday life, as long as some real coins are involved.

What children learn about money each year

Year group	What the national curriculum expects
Year 1	Recognise and know the value of different coins and notes
Year 2	Use the £ and p symbols; combine coins to make a set amount; find different combinations of coins for the same value; add and subtract money and give change
Year 3	Add and subtract amounts of money to give change, using both £ and p in practical contexts
Year 4	Estimate, compare and calculate with money in pounds and pence; solve problems with money to two decimal places
Year 5	Use all four operations to solve problems involving money and other measures
Year 6	Apply money skills in multi-step problems, including percentages and decimals

The first five rows are taken from the national curriculum for mathematics on GOV.UK. In Year 6, money appears through wider problem solving rather than as a separate topic.

Money is also becoming more important beyond maths lessons. Under the new national curriculum due from September 2028, financial literacy will be taught as part of statutory citizenship in primary schools.

Key Stage 1: getting to know coins and notes

Recognising coins

Children need to know that a coin's value does not depend on its size. A 5p coin is smaller than a 2p coin but worth more. Sort a pile of real coins together and talk about each one.

Making amounts

In Year 2, children combine coins to make a total. Start small:

"Can you make 10p using two coins?"
"Find three different ways to make 20p."
"What is the fewest number of coins you can use to make 50p?"

Questions with more than one answer build flexible thinking, not just recall.

Giving change

Change is easiest when children count up from the price, the way shop staff traditionally do. If something costs 35p and you pay with 50p, count on: 35p, 40p, 50p. The change is 15p.

Key Stage 2: pounds, pence and decimals

Writing money correctly

In Key Stage 2, children write amounts such as £3.45. They need to understand that the digits after the decimal point are pence, and that £3.05 and £3.50 are different amounts.

Converting between pounds and pence

Children should know that £1 equals 100p. Practise converting both ways, such as 250p = £2.50 and £4.07 = 407p.

Word problems

Money problems often involve more than one step. For example: "Sam buys a book for £4.75 and a pen for £1.30. He pays with a £10 note. How much change does he get?" Encourage your child to underline the key information and write down each step.

Common mistakes and how to help

Mistake	Example	What helps
Judging value by size	Thinking 2p is worth more than 5p	Sorting and ordering real coins
Mixing £ and p	Writing £150p	Practise writing amounts one way, then converting
Decimal confusion	Reading £3.05 as three pounds fifty	Use place value: pounds, tenths and hundredths
Losing track of change	Subtracting in the wrong order	Count up from the price to the amount paid
Missing a step in word problems	Finding the total but not the change	Underline what the question asks for

Everyday ways to practise money

Children learn money best by handling it.

Play shop at home with real coins and price labels.
Let your child pay at a till using cash, and count the change together.
Compare prices in a supermarket: "Which is cheaper per item?"
Give a small budget for a treat or snack, and let your child plan how to spend it.
Use a savings jar and count it regularly.
Talk about card payments. Explain that money still leaves an account when you tap a card or phone.

Maths support at Merit Tutors

A child who struggles with money often has a gap in place value, addition or decimals underneath. Our KS1 maths tuition and KS2 maths tuition look for those gaps first, and our Year 3 maths workbooks offer extra number practice at home.

Bringing it together

Money in primary maths progresses from recognising coins in Year 1 to multi-step problems with pounds and pence in Years 5 and 6. The biggest challenges are judging value, using decimals correctly and calculating change. Handling real coins, playing shop and talking about prices during everyday life give children the practice that textbook questions alone cannot.