How to Write Amounts of Money: Lesson for Kids

Not Quite a Dollar

So, your boogers are worth a quarter each...the rubber kind you're selling, not the ones from your nose. Gross! A quarter is worth 25 cents, so how do we write that?

Most often, amounts of money that are less than 100 cents, or 1 dollar, are written in one of three different ways:

Cent Sign

You can write the amount of cents by writing the value of the coins and adding a cent sign (¢) after it. This shows that the amount of money is made up of coins less than 1 dollar.

• Rubber boogers - 25¢ each

Dollar Sign/Decimal

You can write the amount of the cents by writing the value of the coins and adding a decimal point to the left of it. A decimal point shows that the numbers following it are a part of a whole number, in this case, parts of a dollar.

To the left of the decimal point, you would put a dollar sign ($), which shows that the numbers following the sign are units of money. If you want, you can put a 0 in front of the decimal to show there are no dollars.

• Rubber boogers - $.25 each OR $0.25 each

Words

You can write the amount of money in words by writing the number and then the word 'cents.'

• Rubber boogers - 25 cents OR twenty-five cents

Different ways to write cents

Even though the boogers are 25¢, I'm not sure if anyone will ''pick'' them.

One Dollar or More

Wait a minute! You forgot the custom-made, super-sticky, imitation earwax balls you got last year, so you decide to sell them at the yard sale as well. You want to sell each ball for a dollar and 2 quarters. This is more than a dollar, so how will you do it?

Any amount of money over a dollar is usually written in one of two different ways:

Dollar Sign/Decimal

You can write the amount using a dollar sign and decimal point by writing the dollar sign ($) and then the number of whole dollars. Next, place the decimal point. Finally, write the number of cents (¢) to the right of the decimal.

• Silly string earwax balls - $1.50

Words

You can write the amount in words by writing the number of whole dollars first, followed by the word 'dollars'. Instead of the decimal point, you will write the word 'and,' followed by the number of cents, and the word 'cents'. If you want, you can write out the numbers using words too.

• Silly string earwax balls - 1 dollar and 50 cents OR one dollar and fifty cents

Different ways to write dollars and cents

I hope people buy the earwax balls and you don't get ''stuck'' with them.

Lesson Summary

Amounts of money can be written in different ways depending on their value. Money that is less than a dollar can be written with a cents sign, which shows that the amount of money is made up of coins less than 1 dollar, a dollar sign, which shows that the numbers following the sign are units of money and decimal point, which shows that the numbers following it are a part of a whole number, or by using words.

Money that is a dollar or more can be written with a dollar sign and decimal point or by using words.