Money

• Use a muffin tin to sort coins. Show the kids the differences in color and size and the smooth/bumpy edges.
• Buried Treasure Hunt
1. Hide several coins in a sand table or large tub full of rice.
2. Let the kids dig for coins.
3. When they find one, have them sort it in muffin tins or even small wooden treasure chests (from a craft store) with a penny, nickel, dime or quarter glued on the front!
• Great books to read! Click each one to see a description from Amazon.

   

• Set up a play “grocery store” and buy things with fake money … this was a hit in our house.
1. Collect & clean empty cereal, pudding, cracker boxes, milk cartons, juice bottles, egg cartons, yogurt tubs.
2. Attach a $1, $2 or $3 price tag to each item.
3. Print out fake money on green paper & collect extra pennies to use for cash.
4. Help the kids make a simple wallet (I used 1/4 sheet paper & taped the sides) & write their name on the front. Give the kids some pennies & play dollar bills.
5. Let them go shopping with grocery bags
6. Be the cashier (take turns with them) and add up their total. We have used a flashlight or a blinking red bike light as a scanner. Help them count out the money. Give them some change & let them restock the shelves.
• Let the kids earn money this week & go to the store to buy something with their own money!
1. Set up a system that works for you to let the kids earn money! My boys can earn a dime for their morning chores and another for their evening chores.
2. Give them opportunities to earn different coin amounts … pennies for little jobs, dimes or quarters for big job.

• Piggy Bank Penny Toss
1. Print out a large piggy bank clipart to use for a Math Mat. Click the image above if you’d like to use that one!
2. Toss five pennies onto the math mat.
3. Count the heads and tails.
• Coin Matching Pages … cute, printable coin matching pages here. The truck wheels are pennies (match real pennies on top), the bus headlights are dimes and the train wheels are a quarter, nickel and penny. Then color the page!
• Candy Store
1. Fill a large jar with pom-poms (candy). Or let each child have their own jar full of pom-pom candy.
2. Make money cards by hot-gluing real pennies to squares of chipboard or cardstock. Or add coin stickers to index cards.
3. Let your preschooler draw a card and “purchase” the same amount of gumballs by taking them from the jar … 5 pennies on the card = 5 gumballs from the jar.
4. Play until the jar is empty!
• Make money magnets. Hot glue a magnet to the back of several coins … pennies, dimes, nickels, quarters.
1. Let the kids play with these during the week. Or practice money names and counting.

Snack Idea: Snack Bar!

1. Have several types of individually wrapped snacks, labeled with a price.
2. Give the kids small wallets (or ziploc baggies) with pennies.
3. Allow them to “buy” their own snack & drink!