You might think it would be the opposite, but money can be a tricky subject for kids to grasp at first. Even though my oldest daughter Lilu has been saving her allowance and birthday money for a long time, she still has difficulty counting it all. (Perhaps because she is not a spender and simply keeps adding to her piggy bank!)
Financial responsibility is something that was taught to my by my dad and it is something I hope to pass along to my girls as well. Learning the value of money at a young age can help prepare kids to be independent and debt free as adults.
This summer Lilu and I have been doing activities together that involve handling and counting money.
These are two of my favorite activities to teach kids the value of money:
Rolling Coins to Take to the Bank
We chose one day to empty Lilu’s piggy bank (it was nearly full!) and separated the coins into groups: pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Then we counted the number of each individual coin needed to fill a bank roll.
Then came the fun part — adding up the grand total! Lilu was amazed (and so was I) to find that she had almost $50 to deposit in her college fund.
Clipping and Counting Box Tops for Education
Another favorite activity for practicing money values is clipping box tops for the General Mills Box Tops for Education Program. Each regular box top is worth $0.10 and Bonus Box Tops found on specially marked packages at Walmart are worth $0.40 each. I asked Lilu to tell me which coin represented the value of a single Box Top (a dime) and how many dimes it would take to equal a Bonus Box Top (four).
Then it came time to add up the total value of all our Box Tops: 3 regular Box Tops and 3 Bonus Box Tops. Once Lilu told me what all of our Box Tops were worth ($1.50), I asked her to show me how many of each type of coin it would take to equal that amount.
Lilu was especially excited to see how much money she was able to earn for her school after just one trip to Walmart. By purchasing products we already use on a regular basis, Lilu can help make a positive impact at her school.
These are two of my favorite activities to teach kids the value of money because kids are practicing math without even knowing it! Lilu was learning and having fun at the same time, all while adding to her college fund and earning money for her school with Box Tops for Education.
How do you help your kids learn about money? Do you participate in Box Tops for Education? Share your tips below!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills®. The opinions and text are all mine.
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