Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Shopping Bills: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 4
- ForYear 4
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Shopping Bills is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9). Children add up the items on a shopping bill in pounds and pence, then work out the change from £5. It takes about 15 minutes, needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and the 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, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children fill in a table with four columns: Shopping, Total, Paid and Change. They add up the prices of the items to find the total, using pounds and pence. Then they use the amount paid to work out the change from £5. Children also practise writing the pound sign in each answer and lining up pounds and pence so the sums stay tidy.
- Shopping
- Total
- Paid
- Change
A worked example with different prices
A book costs £3.40 and a ruler costs 65p. You pay with a £10 note. What is the total, and what is the change?
This example uses different prices and a different amount paid from the sheet. It shows two ways to work.
Method 1: pounds and pence apart, then count up- Write 65p as £0.65. Add the pounds: £3 + £0 = £3.
- Add the pence: 40p + 65p = 105p, which is £1.05.
- Put them together: £3 + £1.05 = £4.05. That is the total.
- For change, count up from £4.05 to £5.00. That is 95p.
- Then count up from £5.00 to £10.00. That is £5. Add them: £5 + 95p = £5.95.
- Write the prices with the decimal points in a line: 3.40 and 0.65. Add the columns from the right to get 4.05.
- Change both amounts to pence: £10.00 is 1000p and £4.05 is 405p.
- Take 405 away from 1000. The answer is 595p.
- Change 595p back to pounds: £5.95.
Setting up a play shop
Choose the items
Pick small things from around the house, such as a book, a pencil case or a toy. Keep them safe and unbreakable. Adults choose anything fragile or sharp and leave it out.
Make price labels
Write prices on sticky notes in pounds and pence. Mix prices like £1.20, 75p and £2.35 so children meet both pounds and pence.
Gather the money
Use real coins if you have them, or paper money made from card. Having something to hold makes giving change easier to picture.
Swap roles
The shopper picks items and pays. The shopkeeper finds the total and counts out the change. Then swap, so both children practise both jobs.
Why shopping bills make good maths
Money is one of the first places children meet decimals in real life. There are 100 pence in a pound, so £1.25 means one pound and 25 pence. Year 4 children are learning to read and write amounts like this and to add them accurately. A shopping bill gives every number a purpose, because a price on a label means something to a child.
Finding change is a real life skill. Shopkeepers often count up from the total to the amount paid rather than taking away. This links neatly to the number line children already know. Practising on paper first builds confidence, so that when they pay for something themselves, they can check the change they are given.
Money facts for curious children
- There are 100 pence in one pound.
- The pound sign, £, is a stylised letter L.
- A receipt is a printed list of what you bought and how much it cost.
- In the UK, coins include 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2.
- Shopkeepers often give change by counting up from the price to the amount you paid.
Skills and curriculum link
- Adding money
- Finding change
- Pounds and pence
- Lining up place value
- Checking answers
Ideas that help with money sums
- Pounds firstAdd the whole pounds first, then add the pence. Then put the two parts together to make the total.
- Line up the pointsWrite amounts so the decimal points sit in a straight line. Pence go under pence and pounds under pounds.
- Count up for changeStart at the total and count up to the amount paid. Jump to the next pound first, then to the final amount.
- Use real coinsHandling coins helps children see why 100p makes a pound and why pence can be traded for pounds.
Key words
- PoundThe main unit of money in the UK. It is worth 100 pence.
- PenceSmall units of money. The letter p stands for pence.
- TotalThe amount you get when you add all the prices together.
- ChangeThe money you get back when you pay more than the total.
- BillA list of items you are buying and what they cost.
- Decimal pointThe dot that separates pounds from pence, as in £2.50.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read the table headings together: Shopping, Total, Paid and Change. Make sure your child knows what each one means.
- Let your child add the items, pounds first and then pence. Remind them to line up pounds and pence and to write the pound sign.
- Work out the change together, counting up from the total. Check against page 2 and ask, "How did you work that out?"
- Come back another day and try again. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence. About 15 minutes is plenty.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Add the pounds first, then the pence. Write each part down before putting them together. For change, draw a number line and count up from the total to £5.00 in small jumps. Say each amount aloud as you go.
To stretch confident children
Make up your own shopping list with three items and prices. Add them up, then work out the change from £10. Swap lists with a friend and check each other's total and change using a number line.
Make it a game
Set up a play shop with real items and sticky price labels. One child is the shopper and one is the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper works out the total and the change. Swap roles after each turn so both children get a go.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child adds pence and gets more than 99, such as 80p + 45p = 125p, but writes it as it is.
Try thisRemind them that 100p makes £1. So 125p is £1 and 25p. Write it as £1.25 and check with coins.
Watch forA child writes amounts without lining up the decimal points, so the pounds and pence get mixed up.
Try thisUse squared paper or lined paper turned sideways. Put each digit in its own column and keep the points in a straight line.
Watch forA child leaves out the pound sign or writes the answer as a plain number.
Try thisAsk, "Is this pounds or pence?" Get them to circle the £ in every answer before they move on.
Talk about it
- How did you decide which amounts to add first?
- Why do we line up the decimal points?
- Can you count up to find the change another way?
- If you had £5, what could you buy with it?
- How could you check your answer is sensible?
- What would change if you paid with a £10 note instead?
Take it off the page
Real shop trip
On your next shop, ask your child to keep a running total of three items. Check it against the till receipt together.
Coin sorting
Sort a jar of coins into piles by value. Count each pile, then work out the whole amount. Adults supervise small coins with younger brothers and sisters.
Menu maths
Make a pretend cafe menu with prices. Each person orders a few items, and the cafe owner writes the bill and gives change.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go and let them lead. About 15 minutes is enough. If they get stuck, ask them to say the amounts aloud or draw a quick number line. Praise the thinking as well as the answer.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas, so you can match it to mixed ability groups. It fits well alongside work on money and decimals.
Home educators
Pair it with everyday money talk, such as checking a receipt or planning a small shop. The sheet works for brothers and sisters or later revision, since it is free to print again. Let your child explain their method before you check the answers.
Where this fits in your child's learning
Before this, children learn to recognise coins and notes, count in pounds and pence, and add and subtract whole numbers. They also meet place value, which helps them understand why pence and pounds are written in different columns.
After this, children move on to more complex money problems, such as larger totals, change from bigger amounts and multi step word problems. They also use decimals in other areas, such as measures, which builds on the same skills.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Shopping Bills for?
It is written for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9), in Key Stage 2. Some Year 3 children who are confident with money may enjoy it, and it can be used as revision for older children.
- What will children practise?
Children add amounts of money in pounds and pence and work out change from £5. They also practise lining up pounds and pence and writing the pound sign in each answer.
- How long does it take?
It takes about 15 minutes. Work through it together the first time, then let children try alone. You can come back to it another day if they need more practice.
- What if it feels too hard?
Add the pounds first, then the pence. For change, count up from the total to £5.00 on a number line. Say each amount aloud as you go. Short bursts work better than long sessions.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or revision a few weeks later.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It is a printable that needs only paper and a pencil, so it works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. It gives eyes a rest and gets children thinking and writing by hand.
- Can teachers and home educators use it?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. Home educators and tutors can use it on its own or as part of a wider maths plan.
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.