Easy Spy Wednesday Money Math Activity
“They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.”
Wednesday of Holy Week is sometimes called “Spy Wednesday.” It is given this name because this is the day that Judas decided to betray Jesus to the elders in exchange for 30 pieces of silver (see Matthew 26: 14-25).
After attending Mass (where you will hear this Gospel passage), you can come home, hide 30 pieces of silver, and then complete a fun math activity.
If you have multiple children, they may get competitive and fight for the silver coins. This would be a good time to have a conversation about Judas’ greed and temptation to obtain lots of money. You can discuss why this was a wrong and grievous choice.
Spy Wednesday Math Activity
You will need an assortment of 30 silver coins (dimes, nickels, and quarters).
- Hide 30 silver coins to remind us of the ones that Judas was given to betray Jesus. Hence the name “Spy Wednesday.”
- Once the child finds all of the coins, have him or her count them to be sure there are 30.
- Depending on the child’s ability, have the child sort the coins inti nickels, dimes, and quarters.
- For younger children, simply have them practice counting the nickels, dimes, and or quarter.
- For older preschoolers and younger elementary students, have them identify and sort the nickels, dimes, and quarters.
- For a challenge, have children count up the money. Give each child different amounts to practice their money counting skills.
- Practice skip counting by 5s, 10s, and 25s with the nickels, dimes, and quarters, respectively.
- For older children, have them practice their multiplication skills by sorting coins and practice multiplying by 5, 10, and 25.
- For more advanced students, practice figuring out 10% for different amounts of money and discuss tithing.
Free Holy Week Homeschool Math Worksheets
I have a whole set of free worksheets for everyday of Holy Week – including Spy Wednesday. Follow the link below to grab your download for this Spy Wednesday Math activity and more!