Math PicnicFree printable practice

Value word problems (coins and notes) worksheets

A handful of coins has two numbers in it: how many coins, and how much they are worth. These free printable word problems keep those two apart, which is the whole difficulty and the whole point.

Customize Practice Save as PDF New questions

Kid stuck on one? You don’t just get the sheet.

See it worked step by step →Answer it on screen →
Value word problems (coins and notes)
Value word problems (coins and notes) worksheet — Coins and notes, free printable with answer key

The answer key prints on a separate page.

What's on this sheet

Twelve coins is not twelve cents, and holding count and value as separate quantities is the reasoning these problems build. A dime and a nickel are two coins and fifteen cents, and a child who writes the count in one column and the value in another stops conflating them — the same two-column thinking that unlocks value problems all the way up to mixtures and systems later.

Why this sheet works

The stories stay to one or two coin kinds so the arithmetic never overwhelms the idea. What varies is which number the question asks for: sometimes the count, sometimes the total worth, sometimes how many of one kind given the other.

How this one works

One question from this sheet, worked through a step at a time.

How many points in total?

In an arcade game, a gold coin is worth 10 points and a silver coin is worth 2 points. A player collected 7 gold coins and 5 silver coins.
7 × 10 + 5 × 2 = 80 points
asked:How many points in total?
80 points
  1. Read it through once. Two kinds of things, each worth a different amount, so work out each group's worth and ADD them — do not add the counts to the values.
  2. Each group is how many of it times what one is worth; add the two groups: 7 × 10 + 5 × 2 = 80 points.
  3. Answer the question that was asked — "How many points in total?" — 80 points.

Pick another skill