Money, Money, Money!

Today we began a unit on MONEY. We will focus, first, on how to count bills/coins. Here are some tips:

- Start by counting the coins or bills with the greatest amount FIRST, then count coins of smaller values.

BILLS - HALF DOLLARS - QUARTERS - DIMES - NICKELS - PENNIES

- Help your child count change using real money. When you empty pockets or receive change from making a purchase, ask your child to count what you found or received. Practical, real-life practice is key!

- Help your child by modeling how to count change by "adding on." For example, if you had two quarters, three dimes and two pennies, start with .50 then add on the two dimes by counting by tens (.60 then .70 then .80) and then add on by counting by ones (.81 then .82).

- One of the most important skills - at this point in the unit - is for your child to recognize amounts of money without having to physically count or even think. Help your child with the following:

2 quarters = 50 cents

3 quarters = 75 cents

4 quarters = $1.00

10 dimes = $1.00

20 nickels = $1.00