Money Makes the World go 'Round (part 1)

Money and math go hand in hand. We use money every day, it is a critical part of our everyday existence. When should we start talking money to our kids? Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. Keep it going. But how? You guessed it…my favorite way to keep the math going at home. Games!

For the K-2^nd grade set.

Penny Exchange. Grab that piggy bank and raid it for pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters! This game helps the kiddos learn the value of our different coins and that 5 pennies is the same as a nickel.

You need:

1 die

A pile of pennies (at least 15 per person)

A pile of nickels (5 per person)

A Pile of dimes (3 per person)

A pile of quarters (4 per person)

The first player rolls the die and collects the number of pennies equal to the number of the roll. The player then gets to “exchange” their pennies (or other coins) for coins of higher rank. For example, if the first roll was a 6, the player would collect their 6 pennies, then exchange 5 of them for a nickel. Play then goes to the next player, who does the same thing…roll, exchange, pass on. The first person to get to a (quarter, dollar, 5 dollars) is the winner.

For the 3rd-5th group.

Monopoly.  Just do it. I know, the game goes for DAYS, but it can be a great tool for understanding how to use money..For example, can you really afford Park Place right now? Saving until you can afford to put up a house. Don’t go to jail. All valuable lessons.

Another game to play is “Budget.”  I give my daughter a “budget” of 5 dollars at the food store for her favorite snacks for the week. She can choose anything that is NOT candy but she has to stay under the 5 dollars. (I am going to spend it anyway, so I let her do the decision making. ) Fruits and vegetables are free.

Money is very important. The sooner we get kids comfortable with money, the better. Happy Mathing!

(If you need money direction for middlers and high schoolers, tune in next week!)