Four levels, in the order schools teach it
Level 1 shows a handful of a single coin, so a child practices counting in fives, tens or twenty-fives without having to juggle different values. Level 2 mixes two coin types, Level 3 uses all four from pennies to quarters, and Make it turns the task around: you are given an amount and you build it by tapping coins into the tray. That last one is much harder than it looks, because there are many correct answers and the child has to decide which coins to use.
Every coin on screen shows its name and its value, because the goal here is counting money rather than memorizing which picture is a nickel. Ten rounds make a game, and the score keeps a streak so a run of correct answers feels like it is going somewhere.
The thing that confuses almost every child
Coin size has nothing to do with coin value. A dime is physically the smallest of the four, yet it is worth twice a nickel, which is noticeably bigger. Children reasonably assume bigger means more, and this one mismatch causes more counting errors than anything else. Saying it out loud once, and then meeting it again in Level 2 where nickels and dimes appear together, fixes it faster than any explanation.
Why counting money is worth the practice
Money is the first place many children meet mental math that actually matters to them. Counting a pile of coins uses skip counting, addition and place value all at once, and unlike a worksheet the answer has a real consequence: it decides whether you have enough. Sorting coins by value before adding also builds a habit that carries into much later math, which is to organize the information before starting to calculate.
Frequently asked questions
What are the US coins worth?
A penny is 1 cent, a nickel is 5 cents, a dime is 10 cents and a quarter is 25 cents. The tricky part for children is that size does not match value: a dime is the smallest coin but is worth more than a nickel, which is bigger. That single fact catches out most beginners, so it is worth saying out loud while you play.
How do you help a child count mixed coins?
Sort before counting. Put the quarters together, then the dimes, then nickels, then pennies, and count the largest coins first. Counting down from the biggest value keeps the running total moving in easy jumps, so 25, 50, 60, 70, 75 is far simpler than adding coins in whatever order they happen to be lying.
When do children learn to count money at school?
Coin recognition usually starts in kindergarten or first grade, counting mixed coins comes in first and second grade, and making change is normally a second or third grade skill. This game follows that order: the first level uses one coin type, and later levels mix all four and ask you to build an exact amount.