Sweden is nearly cashless. You pay with Swish, card, phone. They may never see cash. And yet: money maths still matters. Not for transactions — but so they understand value, comparison, budgeting. It's economic literacy.
This article shows how to train money maths with a 7-9-year-old, despite cash becoming rare. At Kluriko it's trained in the Learning Games with digital simulation — but at home with real notes and coins is most concrete.
What should they learn?
1. Coin and note values. 1-krona, 2-krona, 5-krona, 10-krona, 20-note, 50-note, 100-note, 200-note, 500-note, 1000-note.
2. Adding up. "You have a 50 and a 20. How much total?" 70 kr.
3. Giving change. "100-note for a 90-kr item. How much change?" 10 kr.
4. Comparing prices. "Is this cheaper than that?"
5. Budgeting. "We have 100 kr. What can we buy?"
Get some cash
Even though Sweden is cashless, buy a starter set of real notes and coins:
- 5x 1-krona
- 5x 2-krona
- 5x 5-krona
- 5x 10-krona
- 3x 20-note
- 3x 50-note
- 3x 100-note
- 1x 500-note
This is your maths bank. Worth maybe 1500 kr — use as teaching material only.
(Alternative: download paper printouts of Swedish notes and coins — many available online.)
Step 1: Identify values
Exercise: They sort the coins and notes. "Which is worth most?"
Show each: "This is 5 kronor. This is 20 kronor." They see size vs value. (Not the same — a 500-note isn't 500x bigger than a 1-krona!)
Step 2: Add up
Exercise: Place a 50 and a 20. "How much?" 70 kr.
Then: 100 + 50 = 150. Then: 200 + 20 + 5 = 225. Etc.
They learn addition in money context.
Step 3: Home kiosk
This is the gold standard. Create a home kiosk:
- A box of "goods" (toys, books, snacks).
- Price tags on each (5 kr, 10 kr, 20 kr, etc.).
- They're the customer. You're the cashier (or vice versa).
They "buy" things. Pay with the right money. Get change if they overpay.
This trains all money maths in one context.
Step 4: Counting change
At 8-9 they learn change:
"It costs 17 kr. I pay 20. How much change?" 3 kr.
Then: "It costs 47. I pay 50." 3 kr.
Then: "It costs 73. I pay 100." 27 kr.
Strategies:
- Count up. From 73: 74, 75... 100. 27 hops.
- Subtraction. 100 - 73 = 27.
- Mental. They think: 73 + 27 = 100.
They learn these in turn.
Step 5: Budget
At 8-9: they get allowance.
10-30 kr per week depending on family. They can:
- Save some
- Spend some
- Give some away (if they want)
They learn economic thinking. See our allowance article.
Common problems
They don't know note values. Common — they rarely see them. Train with physical notes.
They miscount. Correct gently. Anchor money counting in other maths areas (number bonds, addition).
They get greedy. Expect it. Teach them both save and spend and give.
They just want "more". OK. Reality is finite. Teach prioritising.
Money game
Classic:
- They roll a die.
- You have a "bank" with various money.
- They get their die value in kronor from the bank.
- They collect to a goal (say 100 kr).
Trains counting, addition, goal-setting.
Store visits
The most important: take them shopping.
Show prices. Let them add up. Let them pay with cash. Let them get change back.
Ten store visits = more maths than 50 worksheet pages.
Digital vs physical money understanding
In the future: Swish, card, crypto. They won't use cash much.
But: cash teaches value sense. They physically see what 100 kr is. They can count it. They can see the 100-note shrink as they spend.
This is emotional foundation for economics, which they lose with digital.
Percent link
At 9-10 they learn percentages:
- 50% off = half price
- 25% off = a quarter off
- 10% off = a tenth off
This is fractions + money. Exercise: "A shirt costs 200 kr. 25% off. What's the price?" 200 - 50 = 150.
Savings goal
Set a savings goal with them. Something they want — a toy for 200 kr.
They save 10 kr a week. When are they done? 20 weeks.
This is long-term planning. Maths in time. They see money grow.
How Kluriko helps
Kluriko Learning Games have money games with Swedish notes and coins. They train change, comparison, budget in digital simulation. But combine with real money at home for best results.