L1 Recognising Coins

Introduce children to recognising and describing coins with this interactive Working Without Worksheets lesson for Year 1 Money (Measurement). Designed for classrooms that prioritise active, hands-on learning over worksheets, this lesson helps pupils identify, compare, and sort UK coins while developing early money vocabulary and visual recognition skills. The lesson begins with a coin exploration starter, where pupils identify and name coins using real or pictured examples. As they do so, they discuss each coin’s size, colour, shape, and design, noticing what makes each one unique. Together, the class compares similarities and differences between coins, laying the foundation for recognising value and purpose. During the introduction, pupils sort coins in different ways — first by shape (round, heptagon, dodecagon), then by size(smallest to largest), and finally by value (smallest to greatest). The teacher models how coin size doesn’t always match coin value, highlighting examples such as the £2 coin being both largest and highest in value, while smaller coins like 5p have lower value. Pupils spot visual patterns such as the sequence of bronze, silver, and gold coins across the denominations. The main activities include three fun, practical games to reinforce recognition and comparison skills: Coin Hunt: Pupils find hidden coins and name or describe them (“This is a small silver coin with a number 5—it’s a 5p!”). Coin Sorting and Matching: Pupils match real or plastic coins to a coin chart and order them by value. Coin Mystery Game: Pupils guess hidden coins using clues about size, colour, or shape. In the plenary, children match coin images to their correct values and use stem sentences to describe collections (e.g., “There are three 10 pence coins.” ). The session closes by revisiting key vocabulary and encouraging pupils to use shape and colour clues to identify each coin accurately. What’s Included in the Pack? ✔ Full teacher planning with objectives, activities