Strand A: Foundations of Language and Mathematics · Numbers and Counting

Canadian Coins and Cents

A6.13 A6.1About 20 minutes

Learning goals

I can name Canadian coins: nickel, dime, quarter, loonie and toonie.
I can tell coins apart by their colour, size, shape and pictures.
I know a nickel is worth 5 cents, a dime is worth 10 cents, and a quarter is worth 25 cents.
I can find coins that make the same amount, like 2 nickels and 1 dime.

Words to know

coin
A small, flat, round piece of metal used as money.

loonie
The gold-coloured one-dollar coin. It has a loon (a bird) on it.

toonie
The two-dollar coin. It has two colours and a polar bear on it.

sort
Put things that are alike together in groups.

cent
A small amount of money. We write it with this sign: ¢. A nickel is worth 5¢.

Treasure in the piggy bank!

Grown-up: read aloud. If you can, put a few real coins on the table to look at together.

Let's peek inside a piggy bank. Coins! Each coin is a little different. Some are gold-coloured. Some are silver-coloured. Some are big and some are small. They have pictures of animals and a ship. Let's be coin explorers!

A pink piggy bank sits on a wooden table next to a small pile of silver and gold coloured coins. — Coins can be silver-coloured or gold-coloured, big or small. Look closely at real coins to see the animals on them. AI-generated image

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Six coins. Let's count them: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Canadian coins we use

Here are the coins you will see in Canada today. Most of them have an animal on one side. On the other side is a picture of the King or the Queen.

Coin	Picture on it	What it looks like	Worth
nickel	a beaver	silver-coloured	5 cents
dime	a sailing ship (the Bluenose)	silver-coloured, the smallest coin	10 cents
quarter	a caribou	silver-coloured, bigger than the nickel	25 cents
loonie	a loon (a bird)	gold-coloured, with 11 flat sides on the edge	1 dollar
toonie	a polar bear	two colours: a silver-coloured ring and a gold-coloured middle	2 dollars

Canadian coins. Some special coins have different pictures.

What about pennies?

Canada used to have a penny (1 cent). Canada stopped using pennies years ago, but you might find an old one in a jar at home.

Worked example

Let's look closely at a loonie

Pick up a loonie (or look at the table). What do you notice?

Colour: it is gold-coloured.
Picture: a loon. A loon is a bird that swims on lakes in Canada.
Edge: run your finger around it. It has 11 flat sides, not perfectly round.
Name: people called it the loonie because of the loon!

A loonie is the gold-coloured coin with a loon on it.

What are coins worth?

Coins are worth different amounts of money. Small amounts are counted in cents. We write cents with this sign: ¢.

A nickel is worth 5 cents (5¢). Show one hand: 5 fingers.
A dime is worth 10 cents (10¢). Show two hands: 10 fingers.
A quarter is worth 25 cents (25¢). That's like five hands of fingers: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25.

Worked example

Two nickels make a dime

Are 2 nickels worth the same as 1 dime?

One nickel is 5¢. Hold up one hand: 5 fingers.
Another nickel is 5¢ more. Hold up your other hand and count on: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
A dime is worth 10¢.
5 and 5 make 10.

Yes! 2 nickels are worth 10¢, the same as 1 dime.

Worked example

Making 25 cents

A sticker costs 25¢, the same as a quarter. We don't have a quarter. We have 2 dimes and 1 nickel. Is that enough?

First dime: 10¢.
Second dime: 10 more. Count on from 10 with your fingers: 11, 12 … 20¢.
The nickel: 5 more. Count on from 20: 21, 22, 23, 24, 25¢.
2 dimes and 1 nickel make 25¢.

Yes. 2 dimes and 1 nickel are worth 25¢, the same as 1 quarter.

A dime, a dime, and a nickel: 10, 20, 25 cents.

Size doesn't tell the worth

The dime is the smallest coin, but it is worth 10¢. The nickel is bigger, but it is worth only 5¢. Look at the picture to know which coin it is: beaver (nickel), ship (dime), caribou (quarter).

Worked example

Let's sort and count coins

There is a pile of coins: 3 loonies and 2 toonies. Let's sort them and count.

Look at each coin. Is it all gold-coloured (loonie)? Or two colours (toonie)?
Put loonies in one group. Put toonies in another group.
Count the loonies: 1, 2, 3. Count the toonies: 1, 2.
Which group has more coins? The loonies: 3 is more than 2.

3 loonies and 2 toonies. There are more loonies.

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Pretend coins: 3 loonies (gold) and 2 toonies.

Just for fun

What did the nickel say to the dime?

“You’re small, but you sure make a lot of cents!” 🪙

Hands-on activity

Coin rubbings and a pretend store

You need: a few real coins, paper, a crayon with the paper peeled off, and some toys to "sell".

Coin rubbing: put a coin under the paper. Rub the side of the crayon over it. Watch the picture appear! Which animal is it?
Sort the coins: make groups by colour, by size, or by picture. Count each group.
Penny-candy store: put price tags on small toys: 5¢, 10¢ or 25¢. Take turns being the shopkeeper and the shopper. Pay with nickels, dimes and quarters. Can you pay for a 10¢ toy two ways? (1 dime, or 2 nickels.)
Same worth: line up 5 nickels under 1 quarter. Count the nickels with your hands: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25. They are worth the same!

Safety: coins are small. Young children should never put coins in their mouth. Stay close and put the coins away after.

Your turn

Which coin has a loon on it?

What animal is on the toonie?

Count the coins.

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Which coin has a beaver on it?

Which coin is the smallest?

Which coin has two colours?

Grown-up: put out a few loonies and other coins. Find all the loonies. How many are there?

How many cents is a nickel worth?

More practice: warm-up

Count the coins.

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Is the loonie gold-coloured or silver-coloured?

What bird is on the loonie?

A dime is worth how many cents?

Which coin has a sailing ship on it?

More practice: on your own

Which coin has a caribou on it?

Why do people call the one-dollar coin a loonie?

How many cents are 2 nickels worth? Is that the same as a dime?

Which is worth more: a quarter or a dime?

Count the coins.

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Challenge

Which coins make 25¢: 2 dimes and 1 nickel, or 2 nickels?

The dime is smaller than the nickel. Is the dime worth less?

How many nickels are worth the same as 1 quarter?

Check your understanding

Quiz

What animal is on the toonie?

Which coin has a loon on it?

2 nickels are worth the same as …

Which coin has a beaver on it?

A quarter is worth …

For parents and teachers

Big idea: The Kindergarten Curriculum (2026) expects children to identify Canadian coins and know their value, not just their names: the nickel (5¢), dime (10¢) and quarter (25¢), and amounts up to 25¢. Dollar coins and bills to $10 are in the next lesson, Loonies, Toonies and Bills to $10.

Common difficulties:

Thinking bigger coins are worth more. The dime is the smallest but worth more than the nickel. Use the pictures to tell coins apart, and the hands trick for value (nickel = 1 hand, dime = 2 hands).
Mixing up the silver-coloured coins. Use the pictures: beaver (nickel), ship (dime), caribou (quarter).
Counting coins instead of cents. "2 coins" is not "2 cents". Ask "How many coins?" and "How many cents?" as separate questions.
Counting on by 5s and 10s. This is a stretch at this age. Use hands and a number line, and help.

Safety: Coins are a choking hazard. Always supervise, and put coins away after play.

How to help: Let your child sort a coin jar, do coin rubbings, and play store with price tags of 5¢, 10¢ and 25¢. Ask "Can you make 10¢ another way?"