52 Week Coin Challenge for Kids

Most of the 52 week money challenges are geared toward adults, but these challenges are also a wonderful way to teach kids about saving money. With a little twist, it can also be an excellent (and fun) way for kids to learn about counting coins and adding up their values.

The concept is fairly simple. Each week you save the number of coins that corresponds to the week of the year. For example, in week one you’ll save 1 coin. During week two, you’ll save 2 coins. When you reach week five, you’ll save 5 coins, and the last week of the challenge, you’ll save 52 coins. The twist with this challenge is that the coin value is not predetermined. You aren’t saving only quarters or only dimes or only nickels. The coins that get saved can be any combination of different coins. For example, during week five you might save 1 penny, 1 dime, 2 quarters and 1 half-dollar. You could also save 3 pennies and 2 nickels. During week five, you can save any combination of five coins of your choosing.

Coin Challenge for Kids (click on image to print)

This provides the perfect opportunity to teach your child about the values of different coins and how to add them all together. Each week is like a mini test. Your child has to determine the value of all the coins that are going to be saved that week, then add that amount to what has already been saved. The best part is that while they’re learning about coin values and adding skills, it’s set up in such a way that they won’t see it as studying. It’s basically a savings game. The added bonus is that they get to see their pot of coins grow throughout the year.

Since there isn’t a predetermined value which needs to be deposited (just a set number of coins), there isn’t as much of a need for an alternate version as there is with other 52 week challenges. That being said, it’s always good to have options, and the alternate version can be a good way to tailor this challenge exactly the way you want it to be.

Coin Challenge for Kids Alternate Version (click on image to print)

With the alternate version, you get to determine both the number of coins and what those coins are each week. You choose the number of coins you want to deposit each week from the numbers on the bottom of the chart. Whatever number you choose, you cross it off, and then choose from the remaining numbers the next week. This simply gives you a bit more flexibility while doing this challenge.

If you decide to do one of the many money challenge versions out there this year, this can be a wonderful companion challenge for your kids to do as well. It helps to make saving money a family affair. It also gives you a bit of quality time with your child to teach some of the basics of saving. If you can help your children get into the habit of saving from an early age, it’s a skill that will be of great value long after they become adults.