Lesson 5: Money

For the activity "Counting by Fives and Tens," show your child the different sets of fives at the top of the page. Explain that when we count by fives we say "5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30."

Then explain that we can also group objects and count by tens. Tell your child that when we count by tens we count "10, 20, 30, 40, 50."

Let your child practice counting the sets of items on the page by fives and tens.

Continue to practice counting by fives and tens with your child until she is able to count up to 100 using both methods. You can use teddy bear counters, Legos, money, or beads as manipulatives to help your child understand the concept of counting by fives and tens.

Another way to help your child learn to count by fives and tens is by giving each other high-fives and counting 5,10,15,20 each time your hands smack. Use both hands and count by tens.

Let your child spend some time analyzing the coins on the page called "Values of Money." Explain to her that in America we call our coins change. Show her a penny, a nickel, a dime, and a quarter. Explain that every item at the store has a price for how much it costs. We exchange money for the item or other goods that we purchase.

Tell your child that all money has a value. Explain to her the value of each coin and bill.

On the activity sheet, there is a grid. Each cell in the grid represents the value of having a specific number of a certain coin. Ask your child to write the value associated with each cell. The quarter row is filled in as an example. Two quarters is 50 cents, three quarters is 75 cents, etc. Use real money to help your child understand what she is doing.

For the activity "Adding and Subtracting Money," let your child cut out the price tags. Then have her set up some of her toys on a table. Explain to her that goods that are the nicest or the most valuable usually cost the most money. Ask her to decide which price tag should go on each toy and to set a tag in front of each toy.

Give your child about ten of each coin for this activity. Remind your child that we use money to purchase goods and services. Tell her that in order to purchase a toy, she must give you the right amount of money. Let her use the "Values of Money" sheet if she needs assistance. It might also help for her to keep track of values on paper and then to add them up.

She can buy one item at a time or many items and add up their total.

Note: To extend this activity, she can make new price tags with larger values. She can also add dollar amounts to the price.

Show your child that five pennies is the same as a one nickel. Use the "Values of Money" chart to reinforce this idea. Ask her to count out ten pennies. Show her that ten pennies is the same as one dime. Next ask her to count twenty-five pennies. Explain that twenty=five pennies is the same as one quarter.

On the sheet, "Equivalent Amounts of Money," she can record a value beside each coin and then a total value for each set of coins. Next, she can circle the sets that have the same value. For example, in the first row she can circle the fifteen pennies in one circle, three nickels in another, and one dime and one nickel in a third.

Note: For additional practice, continue to have your child figure out the value of different coin combinations over the next few days.