Dollars are the money of the United States and one of the most widely used currencies in the world. Year 1 explorers meet the penny, nickel, dime and quarter and the dollar bills, learn which is worth more, and count small amounts of cents.
What your child will learn
- Name the penny (1¢), nickel (5¢), dime (10¢) and quarter (25¢)
- Know that 100 cents make $1
- Recognise $1, $5, $10 and $20 bills by the numbers on them
- Decide which coin is worth more — even when it is smaller
- Count a handful of coins up to $1
Coins without numbers
US coins don’t show their value as a number. Instead each coin has a name: a penny is 1¢, a nickel is 5¢, a dime is 10¢ and a quarter is 25¢. The penny is the only copper-brown coin.
Small but valuable
Size doesn’t tell you the value. The dime is the smallest coin, but it is worth more than the bigger penny and nickel. Children who learn this early stop trusting size and start reading the coin.
Bills look alike
Unlike ringgit notes, US bills are all the same size and mostly the same green. The number in the corners is what tells you how much each bill is worth.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. How much is this bill worth?
- $10
- 20¢
- $5
- $20
Show answer
Answer: $20. The number in the corners shows it’s worth $20. US bills are all the same size and colour, so always check the number!
2. What is the money of the USA called?
- Euro
- Pound
- Ringgit
- Dollar
Show answer
Answer: Dollar. The USA uses the dollar ($). 100 cents (¢) make 1 dollar.
3. Which US coin is the smallest?
- Nickel
- Dime
- Quarter
- Penny
Show answer
Answer: Dime. The dime is the smallest coin — but it is worth 10¢, more than a penny or a nickel!
Tips for grown-ups
- If you have US coins at home from a trip, sort them by name before counting them.
- Play “shop” with pretend price tags in cents.