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Math activity

Percent Off Sale

Set up a toy store with prices in pennies — then announce 'HALF OFF!' Split the pennies into two equal piles to find the new price.

Hands OnAbout 20 minutesScreen-freeParent help expected

Materials and setup

How this changes by age

Pre-K (ages 3–4)

Set up a toy store with prices in pennies — then announce 'HALF OFF!' Split the pennies into two equal piles to find the new price.

Difficulty 1 of 3

Steps

  1. Set up a toy store with items priced 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 pennies.
  2. Announce: 'Everything is HALF OFF today!' That means the price is cut in half.
  3. For each item, split the pennies into two equal groups. One group is the new price!
  4. Count the new price for each item. The item that cost 10 now costs 5.
  5. Play store: child shops with a budget of 10 pennies. What can they buy at half off?
  6. Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.

Learning objectives

  • Understand 'half off' as dividing a price by 2
  • Calculate half of even numbers up to 10
  • Make purchasing decisions within a budget

Kindergarten (ages 5–6)

Run a sale at your pretend store! Practice 'half off' and 'free item' deals. Compare regular prices to sale prices and figure out how much you save.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Set up a store with 8 items priced from $1 to $10 (whole dollars only).
  2. Put 'HALF OFF' signs on 4 items. Calculate the new sale prices together.
  3. Put 'Buy One Get One Free' signs on 2 items. If you buy 2, what is the price for each?
  4. Go shopping with a $20 budget. Buy items at sale prices. How much did you spend? How much did you save?
  5. Compare: 'This toy was $8 and is now $4. You saved $4! That is half of the original price.'
  6. Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.

Learning objectives

  • Calculate half of whole-dollar prices
  • Understand savings as the difference between original and sale price
  • Apply sale pricing to budget-based shopping decisions

Early elementary (ages 6–8)

Calculate percentage discounts: 10% off, 25% off, 50% off, and 75% off. Compare deals to find the best bargain and calculate total savings.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Learn key percentages: 50% = half, 25% = quarter, 10% = one tenth.
  2. Create a store flyer with 8 items. Apply different discounts: some 10% off, some 25% off, some 50% off.
  3. Calculate the sale price for each item: $20 at 25% off = $20 - $5 = $15.
  4. Compare deals: is 25% off a $40 item better than 50% off a $15 item?
  5. Go shopping with a $50 budget. Buy the maximum number of items at sale prices.
  6. Calculate total savings: add up how much you saved on all purchases.
  7. In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.

Learning objectives

  • Calculate 10%, 25%, 50%, and 75% of prices
  • Determine sale prices by subtracting discounts from original prices
  • Compare deals and calculate total savings

Upper elementary (ages 8–10)

Master complex percentage calculations: stacked discounts, sales tax after discount, markup and markdown, and comparison shopping using unit prices and percentages.

Difficulty 3 of 3

Steps

  1. Calculate discounts for any percentage: 15% off $64.99, 30% off $125.00, 40% off $89.50. Show work.
  2. Stacked discounts: a store takes 20% off, then an additional 10% off the sale price. Is that the same as 30% off? Calculate and compare.
  3. After-discount tax: an item is $79.99 at 25% off. Calculate the sale price, then add 8.5% sales tax. What is the final cost?
  4. Markup: a store buys shirts for $8 and marks them up 150%. What is the retail price? If they then put them on sale for 30% off, what is the sale price? Did they still profit?
  5. Comparison shop: Store A offers 40% off $50. Store B offers 25% off $35. Which is the better deal in absolute savings? In percentage savings?
  6. Create a 'Black Friday Sale' flyer with 8 items showing original prices, discount percentages, and calculated sale prices.
  7. In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.

Learning objectives

  • Calculate any percentage discount and the resulting sale price
  • Understand that stacked percentages are not additive
  • Apply markup, markdown, and sales tax calculations in sequence

Safety and evidence note

Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.

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