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How to Teach a Child to Count Money

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Teach a Child to Count Money

Counting money is one of the most foundational skills children must learn. Counting and making change are critical skills that many entry-level jobs require. When you apply the following lessons on how to teach a child to count money, you challenge his or her mind to grow in other ways, too.

To give you a thorough array of options on teaching counting skills, I sought out advice from experienced educators and parents. Here are my findings.

How to Teach a Child to Count Money

Create a Play Store

Parents who have taught their children the basics of money said one of the best ways to do so was to set up a play store. Together with their child, they created a fake shop with household items or toys listed for sale. Use a sticky note to indicate the price of each item, then give your child change, and open the shop for business.

Depending on your child’s age, you can vary the degree of difficulty. For example, for a 3-year-old, you could say, “This costs one quarter,” and teach her to identify that coin. For older children, you can pay with a dollar bill and walk them through making change.  Don’t forget to also teach them how to count change back to the “customer.”

Teach Them to Count by Fives and Tens

Teach Kids to Count Money

Photo by Katie Harp on Unsplash

“Kids need to have a good understanding of place value and number sense before they count money,” says a third-grade teacher with I spoke via Facebook. “Start with one coin, and teach them how to count it and how many it takes to make a dollar.”

She goes on to describe a great money game involving two dice. Give the child as many pennies as the number he or she rolled. Have the child then exchange it for the highest value possible.

For example, if the child rolls a ten he or she can trade in pennies for a dime.

In addition to teach your child how to count money, when you teach them to count by fives and tens, you’re teaching them the beginning stages of multiplication.

Let Them See Real Transactions

Many people have had great success with giving their children real world experience.

Here are several examples:

Earn Money Through Chores

Help them understand that “work = pay,” and help them count their earnings. If there’s something they want to buy, help them estimate the cost.

Lead by Example

Allow your child to watch you pay for something in cash. This will help him see how money works and how it requires lots of it to pay for his needs and wants.

Study the History of Real Money Together

Hand your child the coins you received in change that day and quiz her on some coin facts. Not only can learning to count money teach your children better math skills, but you can also create an impromptu history lesson. For example, did you know that the nickel used to be called a “half dime” up until 1883? Half dimes were made of silver which became scarce during the Civil War. After that, they were made of copper and nickel, and they finally were made and referred to entirely of nickel in the 1880s. Click here for more U.S. coin facts.

Final Thoughts

The overall theme of how to teach a child to count money is YOUR involvement. Set aside time to sit at the table and talk about how many nickels are in a quarter or how many pennies are in a dollar. Talk about how much money you earned at your first job or something you saved up for, like a bicycle. That will help your child apply what he or she has learned.

How did you learn to count money? In school? At home?

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Free Chore Chart Template for Kids

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Chore Chart Template for Kids

My kids started helping with chores when they were about 18 months to 2 years of age.  My oldest got his own little broom that would recite, “sweeping, sweeping” as he swept.  He loved that broom, and he loved helping out.  Most toddlers are eager to do what the people around them are doing.  If you have a toddler and want to start working with them on chores or you want a more organized chore routine for your older kids, consider using one of these free chore chart templates for kids.

Why Assign Kids Chores?

Some parents don’t want their kids to do chores.  They argue that kids should just be kids.  However, there are many valid reasons why you should assign your children chores:

They Learn Valuable Life Skills

When I went to college, I couldn’t believe how many kids didn’t even know how to do their own laundry.  My son started doing his own laundry at 12, and my daughter started at 11.  The larger variety of chores you have your kids do, the better they will be able to successfully live on their own.

They Learn to Contribute

There are many things that need to be done to run a household successfully.  If you don’t expect your kids to contribute, they can grow accustomed to the idea of others doing things for them, which can lead to a sense of entitlement.  The family is the first place kids learn what it means to be part of a group and to help run that group.  This, too, will be a valuable lesson for their adult lives.

Should You Pay Kids for Chores?

Chore Chart Template for Kids

Photo by Anna Earl on Unsplash

This can be another devisive issue.  Some families don’t pay their kids money for chores because they want them to realize that they are part of a family and family members help one another.

Others, like my family, pay their kids for chores because they want kids to firmly make the connection between work and income.  You work, and you earn money.  You don’t work, and you’re broke.

Still others don’t pay cash but instead let their kids earn privileges like watching a show, or playing a video game, or staying up late based on the chores they do.

The choice is up to you and what your family decides will work best.

Free Chore Chart Template for Kids

There is no need for you to create your own chore chart template for kids when there are so many out there!  Here are a few of our favorites:

Healthy, Happy, Impactful has a chore chart template that gives blank lines to list up to eight chores beside squares for days of the week.  Just check off each day that the chore is completed.  There is also a box at the bottom for notes.

Plan for Awesome has a chore chart template for toddlers.  This one is unique in that rather than words, there are pictures so your littlest helpers can understand.  You can also use the pictures and words for the preschool and early elementary set.

Make any one of these chore charts last longer by laminating them or placing them in a plastic sleeve so you can use them week after week.

Final Thoughts

There’s no time like the present to start having your kids help with chores.  These free chore templates can help motivate them and help them find pride in their accomplishments.

Read More

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5 Chores That Teach Work Ethic Principles to Toddlers

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Here are five chores that teach work ethic principles to toddlers.

“Chore” is a curse word for some kids. Perhaps you dreaded them, too, in your youth. What your parents, grandparents, and teachers were really doing was instilling work ethic principles in you as you learned what it means to grow up.

Now it’s your turn to pass it on.

Why start when your children are just toddlers, you ask? Isn’t it a bit young? They may be a little too young for learning how to file taxes, but they’re absolutely not too young to learn about helping out. Chores for 2- and 3-year-olds teach work ethic principles in the following ways:

  • Kids learn to be part of a team.
  • They learn responsibility.
  • They form good habits.
  • They learn listening skills.
  • They learn that they’re not entitled to “all play and no work.”

5 Chores That Teach Work Ethic Principles to Toddlers

Each of these chores is simple enough for a toddler to do, even though some may require a parent’s help. Supervise each task. Focus on your child’s obedience in doing the task more than how “well” he or she actually did it. Then, celebrate the completion immediately and enthusiastically. If you pay for chores, then pay your toddler right away.

Clean up toys.

Setting a brief time at the end of each day to pick up toys can help children learn a new habit. I typically choose one area of the house and assign my 3-year-old and 2-year-old to specific items. For example, I’ll ask them to just pick up all the books or all the trains or all the puzzle pieces. That helps them hunt for exactly what they need to pick up.

Bring dishes to the counter after meals.

One day, I was sitting at the lunch table, surrounded by bits of food and dirty dishes. The kids were racing around the house, energized by their meal. I realized that the only way for me to get some help clearing the table was to teach my kids to do it, too. So we implemented a new rule that each family member should carry his or her own dish to the counter. I shadow my youngest to make sure he doesn’t drop something on his foot, but the kids took to it right away.

Make the bed.

Can we all agree that this is an awesome, lifelong habit every kid should learn? Consistency is key in all work ethic principles, but there’s something universal about starting the day with a made bed. Plus, for whatever reason, my 3-year-old gets so excited to enter her room at bedtime and find her bed all nice and neat, waiting for her.

Put away shoes.

Do you have a designated place for shoes in your house? We have a coat closet. The moment the kids walk through the door, the oldest knows to take off her shoes and place them in the closet. The youngest can’t usually take off his shoes by himself, but he knows how to put them in the closet – which counts as a win in my book.

Dust the furniture.

You know what my kids love? Dusting the house with one of those Swiffer Dusters. It’s the kind with the handle and the fluffy guy on the end that looks like a Sesame Street character.

Not only does it dust much better than my previous duster – a rag made from an old tee shirt – but the kids get a kick out of it. It’s light-weight, is easy for toddlers to use, and pretty much gets the job done.

You can even make it talk while your toddler works, if you’re feeling especially ridiculous.

(I highly recommend any toddler activity with “ridiculous” in the description.)

Find it here.

How old were you when you started doing chores?

Share in the comments below!

Image Credit: Ben White (UnSplash)

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How Much, If Any, Should You Pay Your Kids For Chores?

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Should you pay your kids for chores? The answer isn't always so simple. Here's an idea of when you should and shouldn't.When kids are young there aren’t many ways for them to earn money of their own. Household chores are an easy and accessible way for kids to do so. Unlike an allowance, which I think is something that, when given, should be given out of funds that would already be allocated to the child, earning money from chores is a way of kids to work for their money.

I think there should be a level of expectation being a child who lives at home in terms of contribution to the household. Being a kid isn’t an excuse to not contribute to daily chores. Even at three years of age, my daughter is expected to help clean every mess she makes, as well she helps me with easy tasks like unload the dishwasher or simply putting something in the garbage can when asked. We have friends however, who do everything for their kids.

Children need to understand that running a house isn’t ‘’free’’. There is a lot of work and effort that goes into it and the responsibility isn’t just the parent(s). Everyone who lives under the roof should use their abilities to contribute.

In my opinion there are certain chores should never be paid for. Every child should have basic chores regardless of age. These chores should be determined by the parents, taking many things into consideration, but basics like maintain a clean room, help with laundry (a life skill they need to know) and help with meal prep and cleanup are examples of ‘’chores’’ that are expected, not rewarded for.

If a child is looking to earn money consider making a chore chart. A list of ‘’extra’’ chores, with an associated dollar amount which they can choose from if and when they need additional money.

Examples may include something like:

  • Clean garage- $10
  • Wash mom/dad’s car- $10
  • Weed yard- $20
  • Clean litter box (dump old litter and wash)- $5

These are household tasks that need to be taken care of and give the child the opportunity to do so. Notice there is no simple tasks like ‘’make bed’’ or ‘’put away laundry’’, again these are simple tasks that are expected to be done regardless.

My experience is that too often kids leave home with a diluted perception of how a house is run. So many kids leave home never cooking a meal, turning on a washer, using a clothesline or washing dishes and it terrifies me. Chores aren’t established as a way for parents to have control over their children (though there is some of that too ;)) it’s a way of teaching responsibly and life lessons.

How a family decides to establish a chore system is unique to each family but not having a child do any household chores only does damage to the kid and their future.

Do you enforce household chores? What, if anything do you pay your kids for?

Spring is Here, Time for Yard Work

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Child helping with yard workNow that we here in the East have survived a week of nothing but cold and rain the sun is finally out! It was warm at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit and everybody was outside. The amazing thing was how much everything had grown during the week of rain! The grass had been cut right before the rain started and it was over the boy’s ankles already. Of course this then makes me nervous because of the ticks. There is always something to be concerned about.

With the grass and mud I have learned that even a 13 yr. old and a 10 yr. old are in their glory. But, it was also time to pull out the yard tools and get to work. There is always some pulling of teeth (so to speak) to get the boys to want to help. The preteen years are a bit of a juggling act. Ask them if they want to help and they would rather climb a mountain. Tell them they HAVE to help and then you get the “eye-rolling silent breathing gasp treatment”. Finding a happy medium takes not only a concentrated effort on the parents’ part but also amazing is the fact that these almost full-blown teens have the answers to EVERYTHING. And finally, the family is working as a team…sigh.

Teaching children to work for what they want

After getting the work done we all sit outside and relax. My 13 yr. old wants a dirt bike. My 10 yr. old wants anything with a motor. Again we have the “talk” about how if you want something you will have to work to earn it. They both answer at the same time that they know. If they KNOW then why do we need to have this discussion at least once a week?

So we are back to discussing how fast everything grows in the rain and the newest toys they now want/need. They are going to work for what they want and have asked for extra chores. This is going to last until the middle of the week when they have to be reminded if they want those things they need to do the chores.

Two things come to mind when I think about the day. My kids are growing and changing as much as nature has shown us today. As with the flowers and grass my kids need to be fed and guided and yes pruned back every once in a awhile.

Teaching my kids they have to work and earn what they want is very important. I want them to learn how it feels to have earned something rather than just have it handed to them.  They will learn that if they really want something it is worth working hard for and in the end it will show them that they can do pretty much anything they want if they put their minds to it.

Do you give your children chores? Do they earn the money for the extra things that they want?

Teaching Children About Money

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kids and moneyTeaching our children about money may sound easy to do but many times it is not. As our children get older they will begin to understand more so don’t give up and think your children will always think money just appears.

When children are about 5-6 years old they seem to love collecting coins. This is a great time to start the “piggy bank” or “money collection”. As they get a bit older they begin to understand that each coin has a different value. And when theses coins are added up it is enough to buy something that they have been wanting.

So how do we as parents begin to teach them the value of money and how to save? This is not an easy task at times but it is a very important lesson. Teaching our children to save for a certain item not only teaches them self discipline but also allow them to set goals.

Allowances and Chores

In many households the parents reward for chores that are completed by giving the child an allowance. By earning the money the child feels good about the accomplishment and then is able to save the money earned to buy something.

If the child wants something of a larger value the child will then have to save for it. This may mean more than a week worth of chores. And be warned, there are those that do not want to wait and will asked to be paid ahead of time. What we tell our children is that when a job or chore has been completed that is when they will receive the allowance. We do not pay for chores that have not been completed yet. By doing this we are teaching the child that things have to be earned. There is something about actually earning what they have bought that makes the child seem much happier with the item when they are finally able to buy it.

Saving Money

The next lesson is teaching about saving money. How much is the right amount to save? This is up to the individual parents. Some teach their children to save more while others just have their children put away a small amount to get the hang of saving up money.

When children get a bit older and have small jobs they are then able to set bigger goals. As they get older the “toys” also become more expensive. What was once a small truck or doll now may become a cell phone or video game. We as parents know just how expensive the “toys” can get.

It takes time to teach our children about money. With time and patience they will be saving money as well as setting goals for items that they want.

Do you have any ideas on teaching our children about money that you have used or are planning to use?