Grade by Grade
F. Financial Literacy · Counting Money to $200

Bills and Coins: Counting Dollars to $200

F1.1 A1About 35 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can name each Canadian bill by its value and colour, including the $100 bill.
  • I can count a group of bills and $1 and $2 coins up to $200.
  • I can start counting with the bill worth the most and count on.

Words to know

bill
Paper-like money. It is also called a bank note. Canadian bills are $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100.
$100 bill
A brown bill worth one hundred dollars. It is the bill worth the most.
dollar ($)
A unit of money. The loonie is worth 1 dollar. We write the $ sign before the number: $45.
polymer
The thin, smooth, plastic-like material Canadian bills are made of.

Let's get started!

It's Maya's birthday! Her nana gives her a card. Inside there is a $20 bill, a $5 bill and 2 toonies.

How much money did Maya get? Let's count, starting with the bill worth the most.

$20green$5blue$2$220252729= $29
Count on: $20, then $25 (the $5 bill), then $27 and $29 (the toonies). Maya got $29.

Remember from Grade 1

The bills you already know have different colours:

  • $5 is blue
  • $10 is purple
  • $20 is green
  • $50 is red

And don't forget the dollar coins: the loonie is $1 and the toonie is $2.

Meet the $100 bill

In Grade 2 you meet one more bill: the $100 bill. It is brown. It is worth one hundred dollars. That is the most of any Canadian bill that people use every day.

Two $100 bills make $200.

BillValueColourCount by...
Five-dollar bill$5blue5s: 5, 10, 15, 20...
Ten-dollar bill$10purple10s: 10, 20, 30, 40...
Twenty-dollar bill$20green20s: 20, 40, 60, 80, 100...
Fifty-dollar bill$50red50s: 50, 100, 150, 200
Hundred-dollar bill$100brown100s: 100, 200
Canadian bills. The colour helps you find each bill quickly.
$5blue$10purple$20green$50red$100brownBills in order from least to greatest value
The five Canadian bills from least to greatest: $5 blue, $10 purple, $20 green, $50 red and $100 brown.

Did you know?

Canadian bills are made of polymer, a smooth material that feels a bit like plastic. Each bill has a clear window you can see through. This helps stop people from making fake money.

How to count bills and dollar coins

It works just like counting coins:

  1. Sort the money: $100 bills, $50 bills, $20 bills, $10 bills, $5 bills, toonies, loonies.
  2. Start with the money worth the most.
  3. Skip count and count on for each group.
  4. Say the total in dollars. Write the $ sign before the number.
Worked example

Example 1: Counting to $98

Jacob has a $50 bill, 2 $20 bills, a $5 bill, a toonie and a loonie. How much money does he have?

  1. Start with the $50 bill: $50.
  2. Count on by 20s for the $20 bills: $70, $90.
  3. Count on 5 for the $5 bill: $95.
  4. Count on 2 for the toonie: $97. Count on 1 for the loonie: $98.
  5. Check by adding the groups: 50 + 40 + 5 + 2 + 1 = 98.

Jacob has $98.

0102030405060708090100+50+20+20+5
Big jumps first, small jumps last: +50, +20, +20, +5, then tiny jumps of +2 and +1. 50, 70, 90, 95, 97, 98.
Worked example

Example 2: One of each

Grace has a $100 bill, a $50 bill, a $20 bill, a $10 bill, a $5 bill and a toonie. How much is that?

  1. Start with $100.
  2. Count on 50: $150.
  3. Count on 20: $170. Count on 10: $180.
  4. Count on 5: $185. Count on 2: $187.

Grace has $187.

Worked example

Example 3: Lots of the same bill

The class collects money for the food bank. They get 4 $20 bills and 3 $10 bills. How much did they collect?

  1. Count the $20 bills by 20s: 20, 40, 60, 80.
  2. Count on by 10s for the $10 bills: 90, 100, 110.

They collected $110.

Dollars, not cents

When we count bills, the answer is in dollars. Write $110, not 110¢. The $ sign goes in front of the number. Remember: 110¢ is only $1 and 10¢, but $110 is enough to buy a new pair of winter boots!

Just for fun

Why does the $5 bill always look a little blue?

Because it is blue! 💙 (Check the colour chart above.)

Hands-on activity

Make your own play money

You need: paper, scissors, and crayons or markers (blue, purple, green, red and brown).

  1. Cut paper into bill-sized rectangles. Make five of each bill: $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100.
  2. Colour each bill the right colour: $5 blue, $10 purple, $20 green, $50 red, $100 brown. Write the value in big numbers.
  3. A grown-up makes a pile of bills (up to $200) and you count it. Start with the bill worth the most!
  4. Now you make a pile for the grown-up to count. Check their answer.

If a grown-up has a real bill, look at it together. Can you find the clear window? Keep your play money for the next lessons.

Your turn

1

What colour is the $20 bill?

2

Which bill is brown?

3

Count: a $10 bill, a $10 bill and a $5 bill.

4

Count: a $50 bill, a $20 bill and a toonie.

5

Count: a $100 bill and 2 $50 bills.

6

Count: 3 toonies and 2 loonies.

7

Count: a $20 bill, a $10 bill, 2 $5 bills and a loonie.

More practice: warm-up

1

What colour is the $50 bill?

2

What colour is the $10 bill?

3

Count by 10s: $10, $20, $30, __, __

4

How much are 2 $5 bills worth?

5

Which is worth more: a $5 bill or a toonie?

More practice: on your own

1

Count: a $100 bill, 2 $20 bills and a $5 bill.

2

How much are 5 $20 bills worth?

3

Count: a $50 bill, 2 $10 bills and 4 toonies.

4

Put these in order from least to greatest value: $20 bill, $100 bill, $5 bill, $50 bill.

5

Kai has a $10 bill, a $5 bill, a toonie and 2 loonies. He says he has $17. Is he right?

Challenge

1

Count: a $100 bill, a $50 bill, 2 $20 bills, a $5 bill, 2 toonies and a loonie.

2

Tia has 3 bills. Together they are worth $70. What bills does she have?

3

Ali has 2 $50 bills. Bo has 4 $20 bills and 3 $5 bills. Who has more money? How much more?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

What colour is the $100 bill?

2.

Which bill is purple?

3.

A $50 bill, a $20 bill and a $5 bill. How much is that?

4.

How much are 2 $100 bills worth?

5.

2 $20 bills and a toonie. How much is that?

6.

Which is worth the most?

For parents and teachers

What your child is learning: to recognize all Canadian bills, including the new-to-them $100 bill (brown), and to count mixed collections of $1 and $2 coins and $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills up to $200 (F1.1). The skip counting here (by 2s, 5s, 10s, 20s, 50s, 100s) supports Grade 2 number sense.

Common mistakes:

  • Mixing up dollars and cents. Children may write 45¢ when they mean $45. Remind them: bills and the loonie and toonie are counted in dollars, with $ in front.
  • Counting a bill as "one". Ask, "What is this bill worth?" before they count.
  • Losing their place when switching from 20s to 5s. Sort the money into rows first and touch each item while counting.
  • Mixing up bill colours. Practise with homemade play money in the right colours.

How to help: Make play money with your child and keep it for the next lessons. If you have real bills, let your child look at them (with supervision) and find the colour, number and clear window. Talk about real prices in dollars, like a toque or a pair of skates.