Piggy Bank Tool – How To and Top Tips
An interactive piggy bank for totalling and calculating 'how much more?'
How to use
The tool has carefully chosen progressive stages to play at. To browse and change the difficulty level, click the
settings icon at the top right. Each level has a default set of coins to use but you can add or remove coins from
the selection by clicking on the coins at the bottom.
Report – view,
arrange and print
tasks completed
Settings – change
the level of difficulty
Peek – take a look
at the coins inside
so far
Smash – display
coins when target
has been reached
Reset – empty the
bank to start again
Drag coins one by one into the piggy bank, modelling counting as you go. Press the Peek button to look at the
coins used so far, move them around inside the bank and ask difference questions. To check whether you have
saved enough, click the Smash button. Feeback is given and, if incorrect, a chance to start again or, if correct,
the result will be saved to the report screen.
At any point click on the report button to see the target prices reached and the combinations of coins shown.
Report screen move the post-its
around to compare
coin combinations
Piggy Bank Tool – How To and Top Tips
Top Tips for classroom use
Click the settings buttons and choose ‘Free play’ mode. (You can deselect/reselect any of the coins by
clicking on them at the bottom.)
Counting in 2s, 5s, 10s

I’m going to add some 2p coins to the piggy bank. Count with me as I drop them in… 2, 4, 6, 8…

We’ve got 20p in 2p coins. How many coins is that? Now let’s smash the bank and see if you’re
right. We can count out the coins to check.

I’d like to make 20p with 5p coins. How many would I need? Who would like to come up and put
the coins in? 1, 2, 3, 4… Let’s check what’s in there by pressing the peek button. 5, 10, 15, 20.
You’re right!

Everyone close your eyes! Listen really carefully to how many coins I’m putting in and count them
in your heads. [5 coins dropped in]

If I tell you that I’ve saved 10p, and only used one type of coin, can anyone tell me which coins I’ve
put in the piggy bank? Let’s smash the bank and see if you’re right!
Coin combinations

It’s my brother’s birthday and I need to save 50p for his present.

Which coins could I put into the piggy bank to make 50p?

You think five 10ps? OK, come and put them in. Now smash the piggy bank and we’ll save that
onto the report.

Who can think of a different combination of coins to make 50p? Come up and put them in… and
another way?

Now let’s look at the report to see all the ways we’ve made 50p.

Which way used the least amount of coins?
Finding the difference

I’m trying to save 20p. I’ll start by adding 5p and another 5p. Let’s look at how much we’ve got so
far.

How much more do I need to put in?

I’m trying to save £1. Now close your eyes while I add some coins.

I still need 15p. So how much have I saved already? Let’s smash the bank to see if you’re right!