Meeting the Coins: Penny, Nickel, Dime, and Quarter

Think about where you have seen this before. Cashiers and shoppers identify coins by feel every day, often without even looking down at their hands. This is worth learning because you must know a coin before you can count what it is worth.

Watch for it today, and when you spot it, tell someone what you noticed and how you knew. Ask yourself where else the same idea might be hiding, then go and look.

Take a deep breath and look at this. Four coins do most of the work in a pocket. The penny is copper colored and smooth edged. The nickel is bigger, thicker, and silver colored. The dime is the smallest of all, silver with a ridged edge, which surprises people.

The quarter is the largest and also ridged. Look at real coins, feel their edges, and read the words on them. Knowing them by sight and touch comes before counting them.

Watch out for judging by size. The dime is smaller than the nickel, so people often assume it is worth less. Look at the edges instead: dimes and quarters have ridges, pennies and nickels are smooth. When you get it right, say thank You to God, who gave you that thinking mind.