by Sarah Major, M.Ed
Working with money can be challenging for many children. I remember having several students who struggled to even correctly name and recognize coins. One reason many children struggle with this concept could be that money is often taught through pictures in a math book. The coins are usually not the same size as real ones, and they are frequently shown in gray tones, rather than in the colors that accurately represent the look of real coins. In addition, learning about money using paper and pencil is just not fun!
This summer, why not sharpen your child’s skills with money by doing some fun, real-life activities with him?
First, learn the names of coins.
PENNY:
There is an old, old song called “Pennies from Heaven” that gives me an instant visual.
The song begins like this:
“Every time it rains, it rains
pennies from heaven.
Don’t you know every cloud contains
pennies from heaven.
You’ll find your fortunes falling
all over the town.
Be sure that your umbrella
is upside down.
So when you hear it thunder
don’t run under a tree.
There will be pennies from heaven
for you and me."
You can read the words to that song while showing the visual. Then, I'd point out that a penny is equal to 1 and is the coin that is worth the least. It is like one finger on their hands. A dollar has 100 pennies— enough to rain all over the ground!
NICKEL:
In first grade, we would hold up one hand with fingers spread, then make a fist and jokingly say, “I’m going to give you a nickel sandwich” (instead of “knuckle sandwich” that is traditional). Even though my students hadn’t really used that expression, they took to the revised phrase like ducks to a pond. Showing the five fingers is also a reminder of how many pennies are in a nickel.
DIME:
Say, “I got a dime, just in the nick of time” as you clasp your two hands together. Your hands together represent a dime made of two nickels (your two hands) and also ten pennies (your ten fingers).
QUARTER:
Say to the child, “Give me a dime” and prompt her to clap once as she says, “DIME.” Say again, “Give me a dime” to which she will respond by saying “DIME,” clapping once. Then say “Give me a nickel.” She will say, “NICKEL,” as she makes a fist and punches the air. Ask “What do you have?” and she will respond “QUARTER!” Explore together that you can make a quarter from two dimes and a nickel, or from five nickels, or from 25 pennies! You can arrive at this conclusion by counting pennies by 5s, or by counting her hands by 5s as she claps and then forms a fist. If you actually form piles of coins showing the equivalents to a quarter, the hands-on activity and the visual of the piles of money will help your child remember this lesson.
Next, learn to count coins. It is a lot more fun to learn to count coins using real change. Gather a good supply of coins and store them in a fun box. When it is time to play/learn, spread them out on a table. (Be sure your child can count by 5s and 10s before starting to work with money.)
1. Play store. Put price tags on play food and toys, and have him “buy” items, counting out the money he will need to pay for one item at a time. When we did this in the classroom, I cut out pictures of objects from magazines, glued them to index cards, and wrote prices on them. This way, the whole class could “shop,” using their stash of real coins. If a child chose the clown toy, for example, she could count out four dimes and three pennies to pay for it. Later, you can use these same cards to practice making change. The child will be the storekeeper and you will pay with a dollar, while he makes change for you. For the clown, he would give you two pennies to make 45 cents, a nickel to make 50 cents, then two quarters to make a dollar (or five dimes, etc).
2. Make equivalents. Using 3" x 5" cards, write an amount of money on each (such as .45 or .75 or .32). The child will draw a card and see how many ways he can make that amount of money. For example, for the 45 cents, he could count out four dimes and one nickel. Or he could start with a quarter and add two dimes, etc. Do this game together until you have supported him in making as many combinations of coins as he can for each amount of money.
3. Take her shopping. There is nothing in the world like real life experience to show your child why it's good to know how to count and use money. Explore a store that she likes and pay attention to what each item costs. Discuss saving up for small items she would like, and when she has saved the money she will need, let her pay for the purchase herself.
Learning about money is an important skill for children to learn so that they'll be prepared for life. Making it as hands-on and fun as possible will only strengthen that critical foundation and ensure that they're set to soar!
Sarah Major, CEO of Child1st Publications, grew up on the mission field with her four siblings, all of whom her mother homeschooled. As an adult, Sarah homeschooled a small group of children in collaboration with their parents, and has taught from preschool age to adult. Sarah has been the Title 1 director and program developer for grades K-7, an ESOL teacher, and a classroom teacher. As an undergraduate student, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. and then received her M.Ed. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. In 2006 Sarah resigned from fulltime teaching in order to devote more time to Child1st, publisher of the best-selling SnapWords™ stylized sight word cards. In her spare time Sarah enjoys gardening, cooking, pottery, quilting, and spending time with her family.
Child1st Publications, LLC
www.child-1st.com
704-879-4047
3302 S New Hope Rd
Suite 300B
Gastonia, NC 28056
Working with money can be challenging for many children. I remember having several students who struggled to even correctly name and recognize coins. One reason many children struggle with this concept could be that money is often taught through pictures in a math book. The coins are usually not the same size as real ones, and they are frequently shown in gray tones, rather than in the colors that accurately represent the look of real coins. In addition, learning about money using paper and pencil is just not fun!
This summer, why not sharpen your child’s skills with money by doing some fun, real-life activities with him?
First, learn the names of coins.
PENNY:
There is an old, old song called “Pennies from Heaven” that gives me an instant visual.
The song begins like this:
“Every time it rains, it rains
pennies from heaven.
Don’t you know every cloud contains
pennies from heaven.
You’ll find your fortunes falling
all over the town.
Be sure that your umbrella
is upside down.
So when you hear it thunder
don’t run under a tree.
There will be pennies from heaven
for you and me."
You can read the words to that song while showing the visual. Then, I'd point out that a penny is equal to 1 and is the coin that is worth the least. It is like one finger on their hands. A dollar has 100 pennies— enough to rain all over the ground!
NICKEL:
In first grade, we would hold up one hand with fingers spread, then make a fist and jokingly say, “I’m going to give you a nickel sandwich” (instead of “knuckle sandwich” that is traditional). Even though my students hadn’t really used that expression, they took to the revised phrase like ducks to a pond. Showing the five fingers is also a reminder of how many pennies are in a nickel.
DIME:
Say, “I got a dime, just in the nick of time” as you clasp your two hands together. Your hands together represent a dime made of two nickels (your two hands) and also ten pennies (your ten fingers).
QUARTER:
Say to the child, “Give me a dime” and prompt her to clap once as she says, “DIME.” Say again, “Give me a dime” to which she will respond by saying “DIME,” clapping once. Then say “Give me a nickel.” She will say, “NICKEL,” as she makes a fist and punches the air. Ask “What do you have?” and she will respond “QUARTER!” Explore together that you can make a quarter from two dimes and a nickel, or from five nickels, or from 25 pennies! You can arrive at this conclusion by counting pennies by 5s, or by counting her hands by 5s as she claps and then forms a fist. If you actually form piles of coins showing the equivalents to a quarter, the hands-on activity and the visual of the piles of money will help your child remember this lesson.
Next, learn to count coins. It is a lot more fun to learn to count coins using real change. Gather a good supply of coins and store them in a fun box. When it is time to play/learn, spread them out on a table. (Be sure your child can count by 5s and 10s before starting to work with money.)
1. Play store. Put price tags on play food and toys, and have him “buy” items, counting out the money he will need to pay for one item at a time. When we did this in the classroom, I cut out pictures of objects from magazines, glued them to index cards, and wrote prices on them. This way, the whole class could “shop,” using their stash of real coins. If a child chose the clown toy, for example, she could count out four dimes and three pennies to pay for it. Later, you can use these same cards to practice making change. The child will be the storekeeper and you will pay with a dollar, while he makes change for you. For the clown, he would give you two pennies to make 45 cents, a nickel to make 50 cents, then two quarters to make a dollar (or five dimes, etc).
2. Make equivalents. Using 3" x 5" cards, write an amount of money on each (such as .45 or .75 or .32). The child will draw a card and see how many ways he can make that amount of money. For example, for the 45 cents, he could count out four dimes and one nickel. Or he could start with a quarter and add two dimes, etc. Do this game together until you have supported him in making as many combinations of coins as he can for each amount of money.
3. Take her shopping. There is nothing in the world like real life experience to show your child why it's good to know how to count and use money. Explore a store that she likes and pay attention to what each item costs. Discuss saving up for small items she would like, and when she has saved the money she will need, let her pay for the purchase herself.
Learning about money is an important skill for children to learn so that they'll be prepared for life. Making it as hands-on and fun as possible will only strengthen that critical foundation and ensure that they're set to soar!
Sarah Major, CEO of Child1st Publications, grew up on the mission field with her four siblings, all of whom her mother homeschooled. As an adult, Sarah homeschooled a small group of children in collaboration with their parents, and has taught from preschool age to adult. Sarah has been the Title 1 director and program developer for grades K-7, an ESOL teacher, and a classroom teacher. As an undergraduate student, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. and then received her M.Ed. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. In 2006 Sarah resigned from fulltime teaching in order to devote more time to Child1st, publisher of the best-selling SnapWords™ stylized sight word cards. In her spare time Sarah enjoys gardening, cooking, pottery, quilting, and spending time with her family.
Child1st Publications, LLC
www.child-1st.com
704-879-4047
3302 S New Hope Rd
Suite 300B
Gastonia, NC 28056
