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Making Change Worksheet, Five Purchase Problems with Coin Reference
Subtract 27 cents from 50 cents and show your work. This making change worksheet gives your student five real-purchase scenarios and the coin reference they need to reason through each one.
Each of the five problems on this making change worksheet follows the same clear structure: an item cost, the amount paid, a large open workspace, and a labeled line for the final answer. Problems range from paying 50 cents for a 27-cent item up to paying a dollar for a 63-cent purchase, keeping the numbers manageable while still requiring genuine subtraction thinking. A reference box at the top shows photographic coins labeled 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents, and 25 cents, giving students a visual anchor before they calculate. This sits comfortably in a grades 2 to 3 homeschool math curriculum, especially alongside a money unit or life-skills strand.
Students practice the relationship between subtraction and real-world transactions, which is a concrete entry point for applied math reasoning. The open workspace invites your homeschooler to draw coins, write equations, or count up from the cost, so different problem-solving strategies are all supported on the same page. The making change worksheet works well as independent seat work once you have introduced the concept, or as a guided practice page where you talk through the first problem together before releasing your student to finish the rest.
Five coin subtraction problems make this making change worksheet a natural fit for grades 2-3 homeschool math units. Download free.
Building Skills with the Making Change Worksheet
Usage Notes
Pencil suits this worksheet well because the open work boxes invite counting-up strategies, crossed-out coins, or quick subtraction equations that students may want to revise. Each problem is self-contained, so it works for independent practice after a brief introduction to the concept of paying and receiving change. If your student needs more support, work through problem one together before they tackle the remaining four on their own.
Printing Tips
Standard 20 lb copy paper is fine for pencil work here. Print portrait orientation as designed, and consider printing two copies so your student can attempt the problems a second time using a different strategy, such as counting up versus subtracting.