Math Chat: Show Me the Money!
When I was a kid, money felt like magic. The sound of coins clinking together was captivating. I rarely received more than a dollar and some change, and it took me years to truly understand what it really meant.
Now, as a mother, I’m always interested in how other parents incorporate real-life concepts into everyday tasks. One of my favorite things to watch was another mom letting her child tap her credit card to pay for some snacks.
No matter what form it comes in, money is so important to teach our children about when they’re young.
It might seem like a small thing, but having these conversations provide great ways to understand what money is for, how to compare prices, and how we use money in the real world.
One of my kids’ favorite activities is “doot-ing” our groceries at the self check-out (y’know, scan each item.) Then they beg me to tap the card. And after I enter my “secret code”, they clamber over each other to push the green button. While this started as a way to make our errands fun, it quickly turned into great learning opportunities. They started to notice that “doot-ing” items made the number get bigger.
Even when my kids didn’t understand why the numbers were getting bigger, they could see the values growing and changing. We also began to compare prices. When I chose one product over another, I made sure to explain why one was a better deal, or why I was willing to pay a little more for a desired feature.
This was a great way to stealthily introduce concepts like addition, basic multiplication, and the everyday reality of money.
The next time my kids started an impromptu game of “grocery store”, I noticed they added something new. Marbles became spare change, and they fought over who got to “doot” the Fisher-Price play phone against the kitchen table. Then the blue marbles became worth 1 dollar, and the red ones suddenly became worth 2 dollars. As their number sense grows, I wonder what they’ll include next. Sales tax? 20% tip? Tariffs? The possibilities are endless.
While errands are a convenient way to talk about money, there are so many other opportunities for you to make these big concepts feel simple.
Loose change in the couch? Which coin is bigger?
Got a dollar coin from the Tooth Fairy (or more realistically, a fiver)? Why do you think some coins are rarer than others?
Taking the piggy bank to the Coinstar? Do you think a computer can sort coins faster than us?
This just goes to remind us that math concepts like money are everywhere—and that our kids are eager to help us out with the “grown-up” stuff. It doesn’t hurt that to throw in some “doot-ing” sound effects along the way.
