Core Materials:

• Donut menus (pictures + prices)
• Play money or printable bills/coins
• Donut “inventory” (paper donuts, manipulatives, or drawings)

Set Up:

• Print menu (optionally you can laminate them for long term use)
• Cut out donuts (or substitute them with play food)
• Cut out printable money (laminating recommended)

Level 1: Counting & Making Change (Early Elementary)
Math Focus

• Counting
• Coin recognition
• Making amounts

Skills Practiced

• Count up to a price
• Use number sense to give change

Activities

• Donuts cost $1–$5 (whole dollars only)
• Take turns being the cashier and the customer
• Start off just using $1 bills, then you can try using $5 and $10

Example Task

• "I want to buy 3 strawberry donuts. How much do I owe you?
• “This donut costs $3. Give the cashier $5."

Level 2: Counting Quarters
Skills Practiced

• Recognizing coins
• Count up to a price
• Use number sense to give change
• Counting by 25s

Activities

• Donuts cost whole numbers ending in 25, 50, and 75 cents.
• Take turns being the cashier and the customer
• Start by counting the change out loud
• Start with $1 bills + quarters, and then add in bigger bills for making more complicated change

Example Task

• "I want to buy a lemon donut for $1.50? So that's $1, then 25 cent, then fifty cent!"
• “This donut costs $1.50, but I give the cashier $5. How much do I get back?"

Level 3: Adding in Coins
Skills Practiced

• Recognizing coins
• Count up to a price
• Use number sense to give change
• Counting by 5s and 10s

Activities

• Donuts cost whole numbers with 10, 15, and 20 cent
• Take turns being the cashier and the customer
• Add in coins slowly
  • Start off just using $1 bills + pennies
  • Add in nickels
  • Add in dimes 
  • Add in bigger bills for making more complicated change

Example Task

• "I want to buy a 3.10 donut? So that's one, two, three dollars and then a dime!"

Level 4: Donut Sale!
Skills Practiced

• Understand 50% = ½
• Split whole-dollar amounts in half
• Use number sense to find sale prices

Set the Scene

• Announce that the donut shop is having a SALE DAY.“ Everything is 50% off today!”
• Explain:

• 50% means half
• Half means splitting something into two equal parts

Part 1: Halving Prices (Hands-On)

• Use the original menu with whole-dollar prices
• Start with even numbers only ($2, $4)
• Physically split the price:
  • $4 → $2 and $2
  • $2 → $1 and $1

Have student:

• Say the full price
• Say half the price
• Hand the cashier the sale price

Example Task
“This donut costs $4. Half of $4 is $2. The sale price is $2.”

Part 2: Odd Prices (Stretch Practice)

Once students are comfortable:

• Introduce odd-dollar prices ($3, $5)
• Show how halving creates 50 cents

Use play money to model:

• $3 → $1.50
• $5 → $2.50

Example Task
“This donut costs $3. Half of $3 is $1.50. I need one dollar and two quarters.”

Part 3: Sale Sign Matching (Optional Extension)

Create or print sale signs:

• “50% OFF”
• “½ OFF”

Student:

• Match signs that mean the same thing
• Explain why they match

“These mean the same because half is fifty percent.”


Teacher Tip / Scaffold Language

Use consistent phrasing:

• “Half of ___ is ___.”
• “Fifty percent means half.”
• “We split the price into two equal parts.”

Avoid formulas—this level is about intuition, not rules.

Optional Level-Up (Preview of Next Level)
If a student is ready:

• Introduce 25% off
• Explain it as half of a half
• Only use $4 and $8 prices

“Half of $4 is $2. Half of $2 is $1. That’s 25% off.”