Making Education Fun in the Home
When children become school age and set off for class, it can sometimes slip our minds that education still begins at home. As parents, we begin teaching our children long before they step foot in a classroom. We can continue teaching lessons such as making change math after they enter school to help reinforce and compliment their formal education.
Practical Home Math Lessons
It doesn't take much in the way of math basics for a child to be able to apply early skills in the way of practical applications, such as practicing making change from cash. Children are often able to learn to count to one hundred by four or five years old. It is common theme in preschools and kindergarten classrooms to count the first one hundred days of school and then have a one hundred day celebration at the end of it. It's the teacher's way of making learning to count that high fun. At this point, children gain the ability to count the pennies in a dollar.
Play a Game of Market
A great way to practice making change from cash for children in the preschool to kindergarten age group is to play a game of market. Most toy stores sell child size market stands to play with. You can also easily make a "store" in the kitchen with cans, boxes and items you have on hand. Use dollars and pennies in the game so that the child is able to practice math skills that way. Given the setting, it will hardly feel like a lesson. Of course, with older children the games can be more complex.
By modifying some popular board games, such as Monopoly and Payday, it's possible to reinforce making change math skills. If the practice needed involves making change from cash, then add in a change component to these games, otherwise these are usually fine if played by the standard rules. As an added bonus, using board games to teach math can make for a really enjoyable family night.
Get Children Involved in Transactions
Math practice at home does not always have to be a game to be appealing to kids. If the child receives an allowance, let him or her be in charge of it. The next trip to the movies, see if it is possible for the child to figure out how much money is needed, and what change, if any, will be given back when purchasing the tickets. The same can be done when making purchases at the video game store, the toy store, or even in restaurants. Given that this requires solid math skills, reserve this sort of practice for kids in upper elementary grades, or perhaps even middle school.
As with anything else, making change math skills can be practiced at home. The question is how that practice is done. While workbooks and practice sheets are always available, making it fun and getting the kids involved in it so that it doesn't feel like a lesson anymore is more likely to have a more lasting effect. Aside from providing additional practice, it also shows kids exactly how these skills are applied in everyday life, which is key for future success.
