Current math lesson for K is on the topic of money. Of course the first thing we did was learn to identify the various denominations e.g. 5 cent coin, 10 cent coin , 20 cent coin, 50 cents coin, RM1 note, RM5 note etc…. Next step is learn how to count the money. I recently bought a local math workbook and there were some exercises in there for K to learn how to add up the money. She was having some difficulty. Guess she is still not quite adept at adding by the tens. She also seemed confused with the cents and Ringgit. She wasn’t learning much as I could see she was struggling with the work. Even with my best explanations, I could see the frustration in her attitude. I figured the best way she was going to learn was to count REAL money and not just numbers on a page.

So, I decided one morning that we were going to play SHOP. We comfortably plopped ourselves down in her playroom and I selected toys and other stuff I wanted in the ’shop’. Then I created price tags for them.

The shop

Next, I got Koko D to do his shopping.

going shopping

K played the cashier and rang up the items on her toy cash register.

The cashier

Then K dug into daddy’s wallet and pulled out the exact amount needed to pay for the items.

Counting the money

Surprisingly, she got each math problem right. Meaning, she managed to select the correct coins and notes to give the exact amount needed to pay for the shopped items. PLUS, she commented “Mommy, this is so fun. Can we do this again tomorrow?” There was not much confusion, she was happy to learn and wanted to do more. It sure was a HUGE improvement from the day before. Of course I must not forget to thank Daddy for willingly loaning his wallet to us. Now, I don’t know how they teach counting money in school, but I don’t think it includes using real cash. But it did so much to help K learn. She was so excited to handle REAL money. It boosted her motivation to learn.

So I guess this is another reminder about how much more advantageous it is for a child to be educated at home. Even if a child is already going to school, parents should still play an active role in teaching the child. With the one on one interaction, you can better see what your child is struggling with and how to customize the lesson so they understand.