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Coin Rubbings Matching Game

Jul 16, 201347,098 views
Math Play
Art and Math Activities : Coin Rubbings Save
art fun with coins Save
rubbing coins Save
coin rubbings Save
matching game Save
math activity with kids using coins Save
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by TurkeyMom in Math Play

Ages3–9 yrs
Prep5 min
Activity20 min
Leveleasy
MessLow
Works for1:1 · Small group · Class

Kids cover coins with paper and color over them with colored pencils to make coin impressions. They then match real coins to the rubbings in a simple math matching game. It needs almost no setup and makes very little mess.

⚠️ Safety first

  • Coins are a choking hazard. Supervise young children closely, keep coins away from kids who still mouth objects, and count the coins in and out.
  • Coins are dirty, so wash hands after handling them.

Before the kids arrive

  • Gather a variety of coins and some sheets of white paper.
  • For the matching game, an adult can make a coin rubbings sheet before or alongside the child.

Steps

  1. Lay out a few coins on a sheet of white paper.

  2. Cover the coins with another sheet of white paper.

  3. Color over each coin with a colored pencil until its impression shows.

  4. Try different colors and different coins to fill the page with impressions.

  5. Set out a finished coin rubbings sheet and a few coins.

  6. Pick up a coin and find the impression it matches.

  7. Place each coin on top of its matching rubbing.

  8. Keep going until every rubbing has its coin.

Tips

  • Colored pencils worked much better than crayons. Kids find it hard NOT to push hard while coloring, and with pencils that pressure gives the rubbings the right color and detail.from the author
  • Use a variety of coins so the matching game has some challenge. A few of them were challenging, but her focus was pretty good.from the author
  • Make a rubbings sheet yourself alongside your child, then turn it into the matching game.from the author
  • Unique activities that are out of the usual workbook routine really get preschoolers to focus.from the author
  • It still works for older kids: we redid it with a 9 year old, who loved it because she got to use her favorite colored pencils.from the author

Make it your own

  • Hide coins under the paper so the child doesn't know which coins are there. They guess as each new impression appears.
  • Set up coin rubbings math or money equations.
  • Arrange coins in a pattern, like a flower or a shape, and rub to create designs.
  • If you use crayons, wash over the paper with watercolors so the crayon colors pop out.

The story behind it

By TurkeyMom · July 2013
Coin Rubbings Matching Game
During the pandemic we redid this coin rubbing activity with my now 9 year old, using her favorite art supplies: her 172 color pencil set.
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Coin Rubbings Matching Game: the original post

Art and Math Activities : Coin Rubbings With a few coins and colored pencils create this fun art-math combo activity. This is one of those indoor kids activities that is set-up free and mess-free and that is a big plus in a busy mother’s day. Let’s be honest we want it all, right? An engaging, fun and if possible educational indoor kids activities which does not have any elaborate set up and mess free. What? That is like having your cake and eating it too This art and math activity fits the bill! It is unique and my kid loved seeing the impressions on the paper. Materials

Update: During this global pandemic, when schools are shut down for the rest of the academic year we redid this coin rubbing activity with my now 9 year old. The one in this image is now 11!! The said 9 year old still loved the activity given that we were using her favorite art supplies - her 172 color pencil set. She ferociously guards her set with life because she truly loves this giant palette of colors. They are organized into 4 trays and comes with a DIY color chart which is probably essential because the set has one big drawback. The wrappers don’t match the true color. The chart makes picking the exact shade of purple so easy! Resident artist loves this set. ( Not a sponsored post by the way)

Back to the post! I provided my preschooler with a few coins, sheets of white paper and crayons and colored pencils. I had her lay out a few coins on a sheet and cover them with another sheet of white paper. Then she made coin impressions by coloring over the coins. rubbing coins I should mention that we started off this kids activity as crayon rubbings but soon found out that colored pencils worked much better than crayons. The reason : kids find it hard to NOT push hard while coloring. Gentle shading is difficult to practice at this age. That’s why colored pencils were a perfect solutions since the pressure did not affect the coin impression. In fact the way the kids pushed on their writing materials was perfect. It gave the coin rubbings the right color and detail and with crayon rubbings the details would have been lost with the excess pressure.

close of coins rub

coin rubbings

These are the beautiful coin impressions my kid and I made. I sat down and made one with her with the intention of turning it into a matching game.

art fun with coins

Math Matching Game

I set out my coin rubbings paper and a few coins for her.

math activity with kids using coins

She set out matching the impressions to the coins. A few of them were challenging but her focus was pretty good. Unique and out of the usual workbook activities really get my preschooler to focus and we all know focusing on one activity for a long duration is not something many preschoolers can do.

matching game

Our completed game.

finished math activities

More ideas to make coin rubbings fun!

You could lay out a few coins on the paper, cover it up with another sheet and have the kids crayon rub. In this game the child does not know what coins are under the paper. He/she guesses as and when she rubs and creates a new coin impression.

Set up coin rubbings math/money equations

Create a pattern ( flower or a shape) and the child can rub and create designs. How fun?

If you end up using crayons, wash over the paper with water colors to have the crayon colors pop out.

Recap:

Use a variety of coins

Use colored pencils

Use the coin impressions paper to make up a matching game

Thanks for reading

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