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Adding Pence Worksheet for Year 2 (Free Printable)

  • ForYear 2 (Free Printable)
  • StageKey Stage 1
  • CostFree
  • FormatPrintable PDF
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Adding Pence is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7). Children add amounts of money in pence. There are 18 questions in three steps, then a challenge question. Page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help ideas, a stretch idea and full answers.

It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages on A4, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.

What is on the sheet

Children practise adding amounts of money in pence. The 18 questions are set out in three steps, so the sheet builds up gently before the challenge question at the end. There is space to write each answer. Children can use real coins or play money to count out each amount, which helps them see what they are adding.

A worked example to talk through

You buy a sticker for 46p and a pencil for 27p. How much do you spend altogether?

Use this to show your child two ways of thinking. Let them choose the way that feels easiest.

Method 1: split into tens and ones
  1. Split 46p into 40p and 6p. Split 27p into 20p and 7p.
  2. Add the tens: 40p + 20p = 60p.
  3. Add the ones: 6p + 7p = 13p.
  4. Put them together: 60p + 13p = 73p.
Method 2: count on in steps
  1. Start with 46p.
  2. Add the 20p from 27p: 46p + 20p = 66p.
  3. Add 4p to reach 70p, then the last 3p: 70p + 3p = 73p.
73p. Always write the p after the number.

Ways to build confidence with pence

Count out with coins

Before writing anything, let your child make each amount with real coins or play money. Then push the two piles together and count the total. Seeing the coins makes the sum feel real.

Count in tens and ones

Many amounts can be split into tens and ones. Practise counting in tens, then adding the ones. This is the same skill as adding two digit numbers, with p written after the answer.

Say the units out loud

Ask your child to say the full amount each time, such as "thirty pence" not just "thirty". This keeps the unit in their mind and helps them remember to write p.

Why learn to add pence in Year 2?

Money is one of the first places children use adding in real life. Pence are counted in ones, fives, tens and twenties, so they link closely to counting in steps and to tens and ones. When children add two prices, they are doing the same thinking as adding two numbers, but with a clear reason to get it right.

In Year 2, children learn to recognise and use the symbols for pounds and pence, and to combine amounts to make a particular value. Short, focused questions give them lots of practice. Using real coins at the same time helps them link the written amount to what it looks like in a purse.

Fun facts about UK money

  • There are 100 pence in one pound.
  • The letter p stands for pence, and the symbol for pounds is £.
  • The UK has coins worth 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2.
  • The 20p and 50p coins have seven sides.
  • Coins and notes are made in different shapes and sizes, which helps people tell them apart.

Skills and curriculum link

  • Adding amounts of money
  • Using the p symbol
  • Tens and ones
  • Combining coins to make a value
  • Problem solving

Ideas for helping your child

  • Use real coinsLet your child hold and sort coins. Naming each coin and its value helps them link the picture to the number.
  • Start with the biggest amountAsk your child to begin with the larger amount and add the smaller one on. This is often quicker and cuts down mistakes.
  • Group the coinsPut the coins into groups of tens before counting. Ten pence is a useful anchor, and it makes bigger totals easier to count.
  • Check the answer makes senseAsk, "Should the total be bigger or smaller than each amount we started with?" This helps children spot slips.

Key words

  • PenceThe small units of money in the UK. We write it with the letter p.
  • PoundA larger unit of money. There are 100 pence in one pound. We write it with the symbol £.
  • CoinA piece of money made of metal. Coins come in different values, sizes and shapes.
  • AddPut two amounts together to find how much there is altogether.
  • TotalThe answer when you add. It is how much you have altogether.
  • ValueHow much a coin is worth. A 10p coin has a value of ten pence.

How to use it

  1. Print both pages on A4. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
  2. Gather some real coins or play money so your child can count out each amount.
  3. Work through the first few questions together. Ask your child to say each amount out loud with the word pence.
  4. Let them try the rest on their own, then check together using the answers on page 2. Ask, "How did you work that out?"
  5. Come back to it another day, and try the challenge question when your child feels ready. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.

Help, stretch and game ideas

If it feels too hard

Use real coins or play money to count out each amount. Put the two amounts side by side, then push them together and count the whole pile. Count the 10p coins first, then the smaller ones. Say each amount aloud with the word pence.

To stretch confident children

Try the challenge question at the end. Then write three similar questions for a friend to answer. Make each one a short shop story, such as buying two things, and check the answers together using coins.

Make it a game

Play shop. Mark five items with prices in pence. Take turns to pick two items, add the prices and pay with real or play coins. The shopkeeper checks the total. Swap roles each round so everyone practises adding.

Mistakes to watch for

Watch forA child counts the number of coins instead of their value, so two coins always becomes 2.

Try thisLay the coins out and name each value first. Say, "This coin is worth ten pence," then add the values, not the coins.

Watch forA child adds the tens and the ones together as if they were all the same, so 20p and 5p gives a muddled answer.

Try thisSplit the amounts into tens and ones. Add the tens first, then the ones, and put the two parts together.

Watch forA child writes the correct number but leaves off the p.

Try thisAsk, "Pence of what?" Remind them that money answers need the unit, and have them say the full amount aloud before writing it.

Talk about it

  • Which coin is worth the most? Which is worth the least?
  • How could you make this amount using different coins?
  • Do you start with the bigger amount or the smaller one? Why?
  • How can you check that your answer makes sense?
  • Where do you see prices in pence when we go out?

Take it off the page

Coin sort

Tip out a pot of coins. Sort them by value, then count each pile in ones, fives or tens. Find the total of all the piles together.

Pretend shop

Label a few toys or tins with prices in pence. Take turns to be the shopper and shopkeeper, adding up the prices and paying with coins.

Coin rubbings

Place a coin under paper and rub with a pencil. Write its value beside each rubbing, then add two rubbings together and write the total.

Who it is for

Parents

Sit beside your child for the first few questions, then let them lead. Keep real coins to hand. Praise their thinking as well as correct answers, and stop for a break if they get tired.

Teachers

Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task or homework. The three steps give a natural order, and page 2 offers help and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups. It needs no preparation beyond printing.

Home educators

Print it as part of a wider maths plan alongside real shopping trips and coin play. It is free to print again for brothers and sisters, or for revision a few weeks later.

Where this skill fits

Before this sheet, children learn to recognise coins and their values, and to count in ones, fives and tens. They also get used to adding two digit numbers by splitting them into tens and ones. These skills make adding pence much easier.

After this sheet, children can move on to making amounts in more than one way, working with pounds as well as pence, and solving short money problems. Confident adding of pence also supports later work on giving change.

Questions parents and teachers ask

What age is Adding Pence for?

It is written for Year 2, ages 6 to 7, in Key Stage 1. Confident Year 1 children may enjoy it too, and it makes useful revision for older children who need more practice with money.

What will children practise?

They practise adding amounts of money in pence, using the p symbol and combining amounts to make a total. The sheet has 18 questions in three steps, followed by a challenge question.

How do I use it?

Print both pages on A4. Give page 1 to your child and keep page 2, which has every answer. Use real coins or play money to count out each amount. Work through the first few questions together.

What if it feels too hard?

Slow down and use real coins or play money to count out each amount. Let your child build each amount, push the piles together and count. Try a few questions at a time and come back later.

Is it free?

Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use.

Can teachers use it in class?

Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has help and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.

Do I need to print in colour?

No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Colour is not needed to complete any of the questions.

Preview the full PDF

Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.

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