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How to Teach a Child to Count Money

February 18, 2021 | Leave a Comment

Teach a Child to Count Money

Counting money is one of the most foundational skills children must learn. Counting and making change are critical skills that many entry-level jobs require. When you apply the following lessons on how to teach a child to count money, you challenge his or her mind to grow in other ways, too.

To give you a thorough array of options on teaching counting skills, I sought out advice from experienced educators and parents. Here are my findings.

How to Teach a Child to Count Money

Create a Play Store

Parents who have taught their children the basics of money said one of the best ways to do so was to set up a play store. Together with their child, they created a fake shop with household items or toys listed for sale. Use a sticky note to indicate the price of each item, then give your child change, and open the shop for business.

Depending on your child’s age, you can vary the degree of difficulty. For example, for a 3-year-old, you could say, “This costs one quarter,” and teach her to identify that coin. For older children, you can pay with a dollar bill and walk them through making change.  Don’t forget to also teach them how to count change back to the “customer.”

Teach Them to Count by Fives and Tens

Teach Kids to Count Money

Photo by Katie Harp on Unsplash

“Kids need to have a good understanding of place value and number sense before they count money,” says a third-grade teacher with I spoke via Facebook. “Start with one coin, and teach them how to count it and how many it takes to make a dollar.”

She goes on to describe a great money game involving two dice. Give the child as many pennies as the number he or she rolled. Have the child then exchange it for the highest value possible.

For example, if the child rolls a ten he or she can trade in pennies for a dime.

In addition to teach your child how to count money, when you teach them to count by fives and tens, you’re teaching them the beginning stages of multiplication.

Let Them See Real Transactions

Many people have had great success with giving their children real world experience.

Here are several examples:

Earn Money Through Chores

Help them understand that “work = pay,” and help them count their earnings. If there’s something they want to buy, help them estimate the cost.

Lead by Example

Allow your child to watch you pay for something in cash. This will help him see how money works and how it requires lots of it to pay for his needs and wants.

Study the History of Real Money Together

Hand your child the coins you received in change that day and quiz her on some coin facts. Not only can learning to count money teach your children better math skills, but you can also create an impromptu history lesson. For example, did you know that the nickel used to be called a “half dime” up until 1883? Half dimes were made of silver which became scarce during the Civil War. After that, they were made of copper and nickel, and they finally were made and referred to entirely of nickel in the 1880s. Click here for more U.S. coin facts.

Final Thoughts

The overall theme of how to teach a child to count money is YOUR involvement. Set aside time to sit at the table and talk about how many nickels are in a quarter or how many pennies are in a dollar. Talk about how much money you earned at your first job or something you saved up for, like a bicycle. That will help your child apply what he or she has learned.

How did you learn to count money? In school? At home?

Read More

6 Fun Money Games for Kids

10 Steps to a Successful Stay-at-Home Mom Budget

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14 Online Jobs for Stay-at-Home Moms (That Are Worth Your Time)

13 Ways for Stay-at-Home Moms to Save Money

Loans for Stay-at-Home Moms – What Are YOUR Options?

The SAHM Budget Test: How to Afford to Be a Stay-at-Home Mom

Filed Under: Education, Money and Finances, Parenting Tagged With: chores, Counting money, how to teach a child to count money, money games, Teach your child about money

What Age Should Kids Learn About Money?

February 8, 2021 | Leave a Comment

Kids Learn about Money

What age should kids learn about money?  That’s a difficult question because kids learning about money isn’t the same as, say, potty training.  Kids continue to learn about money throughout their childhoods.  However, having said that, your kids can begin to learn about money in the early preschool years and continue on from there.

How Preschool Kids Learn about Money

At this age, kids are watching you closely so set a good example.  For instance, when you go to a grocery store, don’t reward your kids with a treat every time.  If you do, they start to expect that you will just buy things for them.

Instead, create buy, spend, and save jars.  If you want to pay them an allowance for chores, now is the time to start.  You can set up a chore chart, and pay them for their chores.  When you pay them, you can help them separate their money into the three jars.  Let them use their spend money for little things they want to buy.

This is also a good time to get them money-related toys like play cash registers so they can get used to the concept of the different values of our coins and bills, spending money to buy something, not having enough money, and making change.  Play store and grocery shopping with them frequently.

How Elementary Kids Learn about Money

Once your children learn the rudimentaries about money, it’s time to teach them more complex lessons.  The grocery store is a great place to teach these lessons.  You can teach about buying generics, price comparing different sizes of the same product, and the value of using coupons.

Kids this age will be earning more than they did as preschoolers, so you can also help them save for a large goal like an expensive Lego set they want to buy.  You should also teach them that once the money is spent, it’s gone.  Then, they need to work hard to earn more to save and spend all over again.

How Middle School Kids Learn about Money

At this age, kids are going to want to spend, spend, spend.  This is the time to teach them, if you haven’t already, that you won’t buy everything they want.  Just because your daughter wants new jeans when she already has enough doesn’t mean you’ll buy them.  She can save her money and buy them if she really wants them.

You should also teach them about the power of compound interest.  This helps them realize that if they delay spending today, compounding interest can help them have more money later.

How High School Kids Learn about Money

Now is the time when all your hard work teaching your kids about money comes to fruition.  Rather than buying or giving your child a car, have them save for at least half of the price of a car.

Also, teach your kids about credit cards, how to use them responsibly, and how to avoid accruing debt.

Be very clear how much you can afford to pay for their upcoming college.  Then, they can choose a college that is affordable, or choose one that costs more than you can afford.  However, help them understand how accruing student loan debt can make it harder to achieve their goals in adulthood.

Final Thoughts

Throughout your child’s life, you should be teaching them money lessons.  As they age, these financial lessons should become more specific.  If you’ve done your job well, by the time they leave home, they’ll be able to make smart money decisions.  However, if your child makes foolish money decisions, know that you’ve laid the ground work so they know how to improve their financial situation should they need to.

Read More

Teach Your Child About Money–Free Savings Chart for Kids

Parenting Win–Teaching Money Skills to Your Kids

Games That Teach Kids about Money

 

Filed Under: Education, Parenting Blog at KidsAintCheap Tagged With: Counting money, money

Teach Your Child About Money – Free Savings Chart for Kids

November 12, 2020 | Leave a Comment

Free Savings Chart for Kids

One of the most wonderful gifts you can give your children is a healthy understanding of money. Not a craving for it or an assumption that it will lead to happiness. Instead, you have the privilege – the responsibility – to teach children about hard work, the power of saving, the dangers of debt, and the gift of giving. To help your children learn, we’ll also set you up with a free savings chart for kids.

How to Teach Your Child About Saving Money

Many people are in crisis mode, financially. It’s impossible to know what they learned or didn’t learn about money at home, but would America look different if more parents taught their children the principles I listed above? What if more parents led by example by communicating together about a budget, saying no more often to frivolous spending, and showing their children how to save up and pay cash instead of using credit cards?

It’s purely my speculation, but I’d go so far as to say we’d have less stress, less divorce, fewer addictions, more giving, and greater job satisfaction. Do you agree?

With the right steps, we can teach our children to live differently.

What About Student Loan Debt?

Free Savings Chart for Kids

Photo by Alexis Brown on Unsplash

You’re probably thinking, “What about student loans? I was just trying to further my education and now I’m overwhelmed by debt as a result.” Totally valid point. I remember approaching high school graduation and hearing everyone discuss their reasons for choosing one school over another. NOT ONCE did my friends and I stew over the debt load we’d receive from student loans. None of us saw what was coming.

In fact, according to StudentLoanHero.com, outstanding student loan debt reached more than $1.64 trillion in 2020.

How can we teach our children to save money in the face of such a burden of debt?

Start the Conversations

A great way to educate your young tribe about the dos and don’ts of spending is to create an open line of communication. Encourage them to ask questions. Show them the process of paying for your groceries or a meal at a restaurant. Take them to the bank and show them how you make a savings deposit.

Also, a conversation is a great way to tackle topics like:

  • Work ethic
  • Getting a job
  • Planning for the future
  • Saving for a major purchase
  • Saving for college (tell them about the ways you are saving for their college while they’re young)
  • Integrity
  • Greed
  • Envy
  • Contentment
  • Generosity

You don’t have to run down this list every night at the dinner table, but the more conversations you do have about these topics, the more seeds your planting in your child’s mind. You’re teaching her how to think about money, not what to think.

Put Them to Work

Free Savings Chart for Kids

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

We’ve covered the important step of talking about money. Next, it’s time to apply what your child has learned. If he’s old enough to hold a broom or to straighten up his room, your child is old enough to get paid for chores.

It’s important that he knows the money isn’t just for spending. Saving is a difficult concept for young minds, at first, unless they have something for which they’re saving. For example, if your daughter sees a Belle doll in the toy aisle and begs for you to buy it, you have some choices. You can purchase the doll, you can discuss the cost and why it’s not in the budget, or you can write down the dollar amount on a paper, head home, and help her calculate how many chores it’d take to save for the doll.

To aid in that endeavor, here are some free tools you can use with your child.

Free Savings Chart for Kids – and Other Great Savings Tools

Printable Savings Chart for Kids – via CouponsAreGreat.net

Downloadable “Share, Save, Spend” Chart for Kids – via iMom.com

Printable Savings Thermometer Chart – via Frugal-Mama.com

52-Week Money Challenge for Kids

Printable Play Money for Kids

Final Thoughts

Combine a free savings chart for kids with some great conversations and hard work around the house.  You’ll be setting the stage for great financial decisions, which will hopefully follow your children into adulthood!

Got some tips for teaching children to save money? Share one below!

Read More

5 Chores That Teach Work Ethic Principles to Toddlers

How Much, If Any, Should You Pay Your Kids for Chores?

Teach Them Young: 3 Key Tips to Help Your Child Learn about Money

Filed Under: Education, Family Time, Home and Living, Money and Finances, Parenting Tagged With: 52 week money challenge, how to teach children to save money, kids and money, savings chart for kids, teach your child to save

How to Make My Child Concentrate More

November 2, 2020 | Leave a Comment

If you are a parent, you know getting your child to focus can be difficult. However, learning how to focus and concentrate are essential skills that are essential in life.

As a parent, you are responsible for creating the foundation for these skills and giving your child a chance at a happy and successful life. Knowing this, you might be wondering how to improve focus and concentration in a child and set them on the right path? Fortunately, the answer is pretty simple.

If you are a parent and want to help your child focus and concentrate better, this short and simple guide is for you.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Education

Free Printable Kids Money for Download

October 29, 2020 | Leave a Comment

Getting ready to teach your children or students how to interact with money? That’s fantastic! Not only will this building block help them learn mathematics like counting by fives and tens, but it will also prepare them for the workplace. Let’s take a look at a variety of free printable kids money available on the Web and ways to teach kids about money.

play money for kids

Free Printable Kids Money for Download

Monopoly Money

One of the most recognizable currencies for children (or at least this 90s kid) is the brightly colored money from the Hasbro game, Monopoly. These bills differ from U.S. currency in appearance but offer your children a chance to practice their counting, sorting, and hand-eye coordination skills.

Download your free printable Monopoly money here.

U.S. Coins

Are your children ready to learn coin values? Making change? Let’s take a look at some printable coin sheets for you:

Customized printable sheets of play money – At StemSheets.com, you can customize the number and denomination of play coins you need on each sheet. For example, you can print off 20 coins of each value (up to a quarter) on a single piece of paper. That’s 80 coins – in color – on one sheet.

Printable coins and coloring pages – Head over to EnchantedLearning.com to view printable images of quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. Also, view a myriad of coloring pages for your child to enjoy as they educate her about U.S. coins.

Printable coin math worksheets – Ready to test your child’s knowledge of counting and making change? These free worksheets are great tools for just that.

Bonus Read: “6 Fun Money Games for Kids“

U.S. Dollars

Got a bank teller in the making? Help your children or students identify the correct face on each piece of currency and count them in quantities of fives, tens, twenties, or even hundreds with these options:

Fake Play Bills – Looking for fake $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills for your kids? Here is a complete list of free and printable play bills. These can engage your young child in a myriad of money lessons like counting, sorting, and even practicing good habits like using the envelope system.

Realistic Bills – Add a Face – A great way to quiz your child on whose face belongs to which bill is to show him this realistic play money with no face in the middle. After printing out these bills by denomination, he can color in his own face for some added fun. No worries. It’s only a federal crime to deface U.S. currency when it’s not play money. 😉

Games and Play to Teach Kids About Money

In the preschool years, kids are just beginning to learn that money has value and can be used to buy goods.  In early elementary, they learn to distinguish between the various bills and coins and their value.  You can help your child become money smart at an early age by playing money games with them.  Consider some of the following:

Buying Groceries

Print, cut, and laminate these terrific flash cards to quiz your child on prices at the grocery store. For example, she can use her fake money to pay for a $2 bag of popcorn or $1 bottle of water or do the math to pay for them both.

As your child gets older and masters this play game, you can take her with you to the grocery store.  Give her a certain amount of money and ask her to buy a few select things from your list.  This is a great time to teach her the difference between name brand and unbranded goods and the price difference between them.

Going to a Restaurant

Free Printable Kids Money

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Take advantage of your child’s love of play to play a game of restaurant.  Present children with a menu using one of these realistic free menu downloads.  Then, let your child choose his food, pay for the meal, and leave a tip.  This is an excellent time to talk about budgeting and staying within a budget when dining out.  Don’t forget to let your child switch roles and practice being the waiter.

Using Printable Play Checks

Is your child old enough to write? Then he’s old enough to learn how to write a check. Paper checks may seem archaic in today’s digital world, but it’s still a foundational skill from which your child will build his financial knowledge upon.

For example, give him a set list of chores to complete, then pay with a check using these free printable checks. Teach him how to understand the information on the check, endorse it properly on the back, and cash it. This will help him understand the role banks and employers will play in his life later, even if his paychecks are directly deposited.

Practicing Estimation

Another fun activity is helping your children practice estimation.  Fill a glass jar with coins, and let your kids guess how much money is in there.  The person with the closest estimate wins a small prize.

Collecting Change

Another idea is to save all your coins in a jar as a family.  Decide together what you’ll use the money for.  Maybe you’ll use it for a fun day out or for a donation to a charity you all agree on.

Teaching about Interest

For older elementary kids, teach them how interest works.  They can deposit money with you for their savings, and every month you can give them interest, at a rate you’ve determined, on their savings.  Your kids will likely be excited by this “free” money they’ve earned and want to save even more.

Final Thoughts

We all want our kids to be savvy when it comes to saving and spending.  Those skills should start being developed early, when kids are three to ten, through printable money and games with the kids.  The earlier you can start them understanding the value of money, the longer you have to teach them how to use money responsibly.

Bonus Read: “How to Teach a Child to Count Money“

Got any favorite ways to teach kids about money? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

Read More

Parenting Win: Teaching Money Skills to Your Kids,

Games That Teach Kids About Money,

Free Apps that Help Kids Manage Their Pocket Money

Filed Under: Education, Family Time, Growing Up, Money and Finances, Stuff to Do Tagged With: free printable money for kids, Monopoly money, printable kids money, printable play money, teach kids to count

The Best Books to Explain Death to Children

August 20, 2020 | Leave a Comment

My son was just 3.5 years old when my brother died.  My son was close to my brother, and telling him that his uncle had passed away was extremely difficult.  Because death was such an abstract topic for a child his age and because he loved to be read to, we bought many books to help him understand.  These are what we found to be the best books for when he was young and when he was older.

The Best Books to Explain Death to Children

Best Books to Explain Death to Young Children

If you have young children, say three to five years old, these are the best books I can recommend based on personal experience.

What’s Heaven by Maria Shriver

Maria Shriver wrote this book when her own grandmother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, died and her children had questions about death.  The story does have a spiritual/religious element to it, but the book can truly be read by people of all faiths.

In the story, Kate’s great grandmother has just died and her mother answers Kate’s many questions about Heaven.  I like the soft, dreamy feel to the illustrations.

Badger’s Parting Gifts by Susan Varley

This story doesn’t delve specifically into death but in missing the ones we love.  In Badger’s Parting Gifts, Badger is old and heads down the long tunnel.  His friends go to his house the next day and are sad that he is gone.  While they cry in the beginning, in the end, they reflect on all the things that Badger taught them to do such as skating across the ice and learn to tie a tie.  By the end of the book, all of Badger’s friends join together and share fond memories of Badger.

I Miss You: A First Look at Death by Pat Thomas

I Miss You is a book that we read over and over to our son.  This book is perfect for young children as it shares the feelings, including guilt and sadness, that people may feel after loss.  It also explains how the child may behave, such as withdrawing from others, and the awkwardness that others may feel and how they may avoid the person who has suffered loss.

God Gave Us Heaven by Lisa Tawn Bergren and Laura J. Bryant

Obviously, God Gave Us Heaven comes from a Christian place.  This book explains that people die and go to Heaven.  The book promises that no matter what pain and suffering we have in life, there will be no more of that in Heaven.  This book has young polar bears asking their parents about Heaven, and they receive reassuring answers.

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst

The Invisible String doesn’t deal specifically with death.  Instead, the mom comforts her twins when they’re scared about a noise in the night.  She tells them that no one is ever alone because we’re all connected to the people we love with an invisible string.

While this book would provide comfort to a child dealing with the death of a loved one, it would also soothe little ones dealing with separation anxiety.

Best Books to Explain Death to Older Children

Even a few years after my brother’s death, my son still wanted to talk about it and process it, so we had books that we read to him then, too.  These books are good for ages six to twelve.

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia, Ph.D.

A family friend gave us The Fall of Freddy the Leaf, and I must confess, it made me cry.  The story is about Daniel and Freddie, two leaves on a large tree.  They grow together through the spring, the summer, and the fall.  When the leaves start to fall, Freddie asks Daniel what is happening.  Daniel explains about death, and Freddie is at first angry.  He wants to know what is the point of life if they just have to die.  Daniel patiently answers Freddie’s questions before Daniel slips gently from the tree branch.

By the end of the story, Freddie is the last leaf, and as he finally falls from the tree, he is at peace and understands his reason for living.

When Dinosaurs Die by Laurie Krasny Brown and Mark Brown

One of the co-authors of this book is Mark Brown, the creator behind the kids’ show, Arthur, so kids will likely recognize the style of the illustrations.

There is no main character in this story.  Instead, the book explains what it means to be alive and what it means to die.  The author also explains why people die.  (Be warned, for young children, there are deaths from drug overdose and suicide mentioned here.)

The book also explains what people may feel when their loved one dies and validates those feelings.  The authors also suggest ways to deal with these feelings.  The book is mostly secular and discusses various burial rituals as well.

Maybe Dying Is Like Becoming a Butterfly by Pimm Van Hest

This book, recommended for 1st through 4th graders, is written by a psychologist.  The story itself is very comforting.  A young child asks his grandpa if he should catch a caterpillar.  Grandpa says no because it might die, which prompts the discussion about death.

For most of the story, grandpa answers Christopher’s questions, including if grandpa is scared to die.  By the end, Christopher decides that death is like a butterfly—maybe after death there is something else like after a caterpillar is gone, there is a butterfly.

Parents might also enjoy that the last page of the book includes suggestions and tips for discussing death with children.

Final Thoughts

Dying is a part of life, but when death comes and children are too young to understand, explaining the concept can be difficult.  My son, at 3.5 years old, was too young to understand losing a loved one, but he got a better understanding through many of these best books to explain death to children.  Even though we’ve moved on from our loss, we still keep these books because they’ve become a beloved treasure to remind us of a difficult time.

Filed Under: Books and Reading, Education, Parenting Blog at KidsAintCheap Tagged With: Books, books for children, Death

Our Favorite Games to Teach Children Geography

July 23, 2020 | Leave a Comment

One of my favorite ways to sneak in extra education with my kids is to play games with them.  Kids seems to just absorb knowledge this way because they’re having fun.  I’ve shared some of our favorite geography games previously, but I’d like to share a few more of our favorite games to teach children geography.

Our Favorite Games to Teach Children Geography

Online Games

Kids will easily learn to play online geography games.  Here are two that are highly recommended.

Sheppard Software

Our Favorite Games to Teach Children Geography

One of our favorite resources for learning geography is Sheppard Software.  Kids can learn the states of the United States or learn the countries of other continents.  My kids love this and play without complaint.  As soon as one of my daughters is done with the geography portion, she goes over to the Brain Games portion.

This site is a great resource as they also have history, animal, science, and health games, plus more.

Stack the States

We’ve not personally used this game because we don’t have an Apple device.  However, if you do, I’ve heard fabulous things about the app Stack the States.  This game teaches state capitals, shapes, geographic locations, and flags, to name a few.  Even better, it’s recommended for ages 4+, so it’s a fun way to help early elementary students learn their geography.

Board Games

10 Days in. . .Games

These games are perfect for family game night.  There are several versions of this game including 10 Days in the USA and 10 Days in Europe.  Players draw 10 cards.  The objective is to make a 10 card trail to your destination.  To make the trail, for instance, in 10 Days in the USA, you must either have a string of 10 cards that show a path through 10 states that connect, or you have a plane trip between to states that don’t touch.

Unfortunately, these games are a bit hard to find now.  You can find them on eBay and Amazon, but for now, production on new games doesn’t seem to be happening.

Explore the 50 States

This game is good for ages 7+.  Players spin a spinner and either land on the icon for a question card, flag card, travel card, or you choose.  If you get a question card, you can choose between answering a geography or history question.  The flag cards have three different questions.  You move forward once for each question you answer; if you can answer all three, you move forward three spaces.  The travel cards give fun facts about a state or attractions in that state.  Some make you do something before you move forward or some make you move back.

We find this to be a fun game to learn all sorts of things about the United States, from history, geography, trivia, and state flags.

Final Thoughts

Your kids are always learning, not just when they’re in school.  We find our favorite games to teach children about geography are a great way to have fun as a family and learn more together.  Luckily, there are many games available to help teach or reinforce knowledge for a variety of subjects.

Filed Under: Education, Family Time Tagged With: board games, education, geography games, online games

Why the Pandemic Affected Our School Choice

July 9, 2020 | Leave a Comment

When the pandemic struck, my oldest child was in a public high school.  His school shut down after spring break and offered all online classes.  Quite frankly, the whole experience was a disaster.  All of the teachers were new to online schooling, and the classes had to be put together quickly.  This learning environment was chaotic and confusing.  Plus, the governor told all schools that children’s grades couldn’t be any lower than the grades they were receiving in person, so kids like my son, who were already receiving good grades, lost motivation.  As the pandemic stretched into early summer, we made bold decisions about his education.  There are several reasons why the pandemic affected our school choice.

Why The Pandemic Affected Our School Choice

Why the Pandemic Affected Our School Choice

Our goal is to give our child the best education for the circumstances, which required a different way of thinking for us.

In Person School Wouldn’t Be the Same

Why the Pandemic Affected Our School Choice

Our son is a social kid, and we knew he’d struggle with social distancing in school and being with a smaller cohort of kids because the school was going to stagger which kids go to school on which days.

We Didn’t Feel the Environment Would Be Safe

Frankly, with all we’re learning about COVID-19, we just didn’t feel the environment at school would be safe no matter how many precautions are taken.  The virus thrives indoors with many people, and that’s the environment for schools.  I know many schools are taking precautions, but for us, that’s not enough.

The School’s Online Platform Wouldn’t Work for Us

Our son’s school did offer a completely online option, and at first, we were interested in pursuing this.  However, we learned that teachers will be in class teaching their classes with the students in person, and the online students will watch the class and try to participate that way.

I can’t imagine sitting through an entire school day online, every day.  That means our son would be sitting in front of the computer for roughly 35 to 40 hours a week.  Then, he’d get off the computer and do his homework.  Quite frankly, doing this sounds exhausting.

What We Ultimately Chose

Why the Pandemic Affected Our School Choice

We ultimately decided to enroll our son in a completely online school.  The teachers at this school only teach online, so they’re very familiar with this type of educational delivery.  Just to make sure this option is right for him, we enrolled him in summer school.

The teachers are attentive, calling him to ask if he has questions and encouraging students to text them if they have issues.  Students do most of the work independently, but they are required to go to one class a week per class.  (The teacher only offers one class per week.)

Using this system, our child can do his work in flexible, safe, comfortable environment.  He still engages with the teacher and other students during the online class, but he’s not required to sit at a computer for hours every day.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are several reasons why the pandemic affected our school choice.  We’re still hopeful that the pandemic will no longer impact the 2021-2022 school year and that our son can go back to his public school then.  But for now, we think we’ve made the best decision giving the unique circumstances we are all facing this upcoming academic year.

Filed Under: Education, Parenting Blog at KidsAintCheap Tagged With: changing schools, online school, pandemic

Best Games to Teach Elementary Students Geography

June 18, 2020 | Leave a Comment

For many of us, we learned geography in school through memorization.  We memorized capitals, populations, physical geography.  Oh, the tedium.  While I liked geography, learning it in school took all of the joy out of it.  However, it doesn’t have to be that way.  You can bring geography to life for your student by cooking food eaten in that country and playing games.

Games to Teach Elementary Students Geography

Best Games to Teach Elementary Students Geography

There are so many fun games to teach kids about geography!

The Professor Noggins Series

Games to Teach Elementary Students Geography

If you’re looking for a quick and educational game, try the various Professor Noggins games.  Popular geography titles include Wonders of the World, Countries of the World, Countries of the World II, and Geography of the United States.

These games are good for ages 7+.  To play the game, roll the dice.  Then, the next player will read you the question.  You can choose between student or scholar.  A student question might read, “The peninsula of Cape Cod juts into which ocean?”, while a scholar question will ask a more difficult question like, “Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in which state?”  When you’ve gone through the entire deck, whoever has the most cards (correct answers) wins.  Because of the two different levels, this game is great for multiple ages.  I enjoy playing these games with my kids, especially because I usually learn something, too!

The Scrambled States of America

Games to Teach Elementary Students Geography

In this fun game, each player is given a U.S. map and five state cards.  Then, you read a playing card such as, “Capital starts with A or B.”  The player then looks at their five-state cards to see if they have a card that fits the criteria.  If they have one, they put that card aside and pick a new one.  The winner is the person who has the most state cards when the pile runs out.

I enjoy The Scrambled States of America because there are two options to play.  You can either race (the first person to answer correctly wins the round), or each player can answer and all the players that have it right win that round.  The latter version is perfect for younger kids or kids who have dyslexia and take more time to read.  The former is perfect for competitive older kids.

Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride is often a long game.  Plan on playing for an hour or so, but it also makes a fun family game.  Players choose three cards that represent trips across America.  They can choose to keep all of the cards, only two, or only one.  If they complete the trip, they get the number of points on the card.  If they don’t complete the trip, the points on the card are deducted from their score.  The winner is the person who has the most points at the end.

Players learn where the states are as well as what the major cities are through regular play.  Our family really enjoys this game.

Final Thoughts

These are just three of the best games to teach elementary students geography.  There are many others available.  With so many fun resources, why settle for boring lessons?  Make learning geography fun instead!

 

Filed Under: Education, Family Time Tagged With: educational games, elementary students, geography, Homeschool

The Pros and Cons of Online Schooling

June 4, 2020 | Leave a Comment

As the pandemic continues to rage and school guidelines for the fall emerge, many parents are looking at alternatives.  While some parents are considering homeschooling, others are looking at online schooling.  After all, online schooling takes some of the burden of education off the parents’ shoulders.  However, before you make the leap, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of online schooling.

The Pros and Cons of Online Schooling

The Pros of Online Schooling

Parents’ Time Is Freed Up

If you’re children are in middle school or above, they will require little attention from you during school hours.  They should be able to do their work independently.  This is likely to be a huge benefit to parents who are also working from home during the pandemic.

The Credits Can Transfer

If you’re looking at online schooling just for a year or two while there is not a treatment or a vaccine, then you’ll want to be sure that your child can seamlessly rejoin brick and mortar school later.  If you choose an accredited online school, your child will easily be able to transfer classes to a physical school later.

Students Have a More Flexible Schedule

When students learn online, they have a much more flexible schedule.  For instance, teens are notorious for wanting to stay up late and get up late.  If they attend online school, they can do exactly that with no serious repercussions.  Or, if a student wants to get a part-time job, he could work any time of day and do school work during unconventional times.  He’s not limited to getting his education between the hours of 8 and 3 as he would be if he attended a traditional school.

The Cons of Online Schooling

When considering the pros and cons of online schooling, you must give careful consideration to the cons, as they may ruin your online experience.

Children’s Motivation Is Important

How motivated is your child to do work?  Kids who are highly motivated will likely do well in online school.  Children who need peer pressure to get work done may struggle with online schooling.  Think carefully about your child’s level of motivation before enrolling her in an online school.

Some Platforms Can Be Difficult to Navigate

Not all online schools are the same.  Some platforms are boring and difficult to navigate, which can be frustrating, especially for young learners.  Our oldest child tried online school a few years ago and hated the experience, largely because of the platform.

After two years in a brick and mortar school, we decided again to put him in an online school due to the pandemic.  We chose carefully.  The online school he’s currently enrolled in has an engaging, intuitive platform, and he’s enjoying his experience much more.

Final Thoughts

As you weigh your child’s education options as you consider next school year, carefully weigh the pros and cons of online schooling.  For the right child, online school can offer some incredible freedoms.  Or, online school can be a miserable experience.  The choice largely depends on your child and the school you choose.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: education, kids education, online school, pandemic

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